hankyoreh

Bereaved family members of the South Korean pastor found slain in Afghanistan Wednesday appealed for the United States and the Afghan governments to help South Korea win the release of 22 other Korean hostages in the Central Asian state.

The appeal comes amid reports that the Kabul government is reluctant to free Taliban prisoners because of opposition from Washington that has been waging war against Taliban militia, which it ousted in 2001, citing the Taliban's alleged connection to Al Qaeda, the force behind the Sept.11 attacks on the United States.

In March, Kabul released five Taliban captives in exchange for an Italian journalist in what the Kabul government said was a one-time deal, generating strong resentment in Washington, which played a pivotal role in setting up the current Kabul government after it toppled the Taliban regime.

"I sincerely beg for cooperation from the U.S. and Afghan governments to secure the release and safe return of the remaining hostages," Kim Hee-yon, wife of the Rev. Bae Hyung-kyu, told a news conference. "I wish no more hostages would be killed."

Baek Jong-chun, President Roh Moo-hyun's chief secretary for foreign and security affairs, arrived in Kabul Friday to meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai in his capacity as a special presidential envoy.

The envoy is expected to call on the Afghan government to be flexible in negotiations with the Taliban, Seoul officials said, hinting Seoul may urge Kabul to release some Taliban prisoners to help free the Koreans taken hostage last Thursday on their way to the southern city of Kandahar from Kabul.

Seoul officials say the protracted negotiations result from conflicting demands by different Taliban groups. Some reports say that three Taliban groups are holding six to eight captives each.

One hardline group with eight hostages would not drop its demand for the swapping of the hostages for Taliban prisoners while the other two more moderate groups with 14 hostages are ready to free the captives in return for a ransom, according to some analysts and reports.

The deceased pastor's elder brother, Shin-kyu, said he and his wife hastily arranged the news conference "because I understand the sorrow of the families waiting (for the safe return of the hostages), although I myself cannot endure that sorrow."

The 72-year-old father of the pastor, Bae Ho-jung, also said from his home in the southern island of Jeju that the hostages should be freed soon because they were in Afghanistan to provide humanitarian aid services.

"What we, as a bereaved family, want is the early release of the remaining 22 hostages," he said. "That is the only way for my Hyung-kyu to close his eyes comfortably."

The pastor's dead body will be flown to South Korea Sunday from a U.S. base in Afghanistan for a funeral service at a hospital in Bundang, south of Seoul.

After the funeral, the body will be given to the Seoul National University medical center for research purposes in accordance with Bae's will.
SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap News)