Note: I am keeping this story at the top of my blog to follow breaking developments. Scroll down for updates. Posts on other subjects follow this story. Update: A new post with updates began August 8th. Click here.
7/24/07
When have I last seen a picture of brighter, happier, more fulfilled-looking young people than those pictured here? The problem: the lives of these Christian young people may be snuffed out in a matter of hours. They are all hostages of the AfghanTaliban.
Michelle Malkin has a full report.
Malkin notes that "As of 8:30am, there is nothing on the front page of the Human Rights Watch website about the plight of the South Korean Christian volunteers."
Update 7/25/07 -Michelle Malkin updates here. As of 10:30 AM, one young man [42 year-old Pastor Bae Hyung-kyu, pictured left) has been shot, and eight have reportedly been freed. [Later reports have questioned that.} Korean Evangelical Churches Under Cyber-Attack.
Update 7/27/07 - As of 8:00 AM The fate of the 22 hostage (4 men, 18 women) remains unclear. The TimesOnLine reports:
The misery of the hostages was brought to the world’s attention last night when one of the captives, identified by her relatives in Seoul as Yim Hyun-Joo, a 32-year-old nurse, made an emotional appeal for their release.
“Please help us,” she said, weeping, on the American television channel CBS. “We are in a very difficult time. . . all of us are sick and in very bad condition.”
Bae Hyung Kyu, who was leading the mission to provide medical care to poverty stricken Afghans, was the founder of the Saemmul Presbyterian Church. Known as “Mr Smile” by his parishioners, Mr Bae was shot ten times in the head and chest on his 42nd birthday on Wednesday.
Churches across South Korea were filled with thousands of mourners praying for Mr Bae and the remaining 22 missionaries yesterday.
Update 7/28/07 - Michelle Malkin updates here. Negotiations continue. Korea has sent a presidential envoy to Afghanistan. Memorial services were held in Korea for slain pastor Bae Hyung-kyu who leaves behind a wife and 9-year-old daughter. Click through for details.
Update 7/30/07 - 1:30 PM A second-male hostage has reportedly been killed. The Korean government is trying to confirm the murder. Michelle Malkin says the world yawns. Agreed. Where is the worldwide outrage?? Is it because the hostages are Korean that the West yawns?
Update 2:45pm. Michelle Malkin updates: From Yonhap
reports, “The Taliban, claiming Monday to have executed another male
South Korean hostage, threatened it will continue to kill more of them
and more frequently.
Should negotiations fail, the Taliban will reportedly start to kill female hostages after the men. Here is a photo of Shim Sung-min, 29, the second hostage reportedly killed. The weapon used was reportedly an AK-47.
Update 7/31/07 - Eugene E. Cho, born in Korea, now living in the U.S. , is blogging the story and includes additional photos. Of the second murder victim, Sung Min, he writes: "He used to work for an IT company but resigned two months ago to prepare for his Masters’ education [agriculture]. One of his passions was volunteering with the disabled community and other aspects of social work." - djchuang.com notes that Korean papers Chosun Ilbo and The Hankyoreh have English editions with up-to-date news.
Update 8/1/07 10:00 AM -CNN (video) via Reuters reports a rescue operation is now underway. 10:15 AM - Reuters withdraws the Afghan rescue report.
Michelle Malkin offers an outstanding column today titled: "The Martyrs No One Cares About."
Here are the pictures of the remaining S. Korean hostages (reproduced from Michelle Malkin's blog). Click any picture and all will appear much larger.
11:00 PM - Douglas Groothuis writes: As Bernard Lewis has pointed out, in Christianity, a martyr is one who
is killed on account of one's profession of faith and one's refusal to
recant under pressure. In Islam (represented by the Taliban) a martyr
is typically one who dies in a jihad. The difference reveals a titanic
split in the two worldviews.
Pastor Hyung-kyu was in Afghanistan
to serve Christ by serving others. What he did, he did in the name of
the God of the Bible. For that, he was executed. He joins the legion of
martyrs, those who did not love their lives unto death, but who will
receive the crown of life from the King of Kings.
The International Herald Tribune reports "So. Korea, U.S. rule out military operation to free the hostages."
(Updates continue on the next page.)
Update 8/2/07 - Chosun Ilbo, the English language Korean newspaper, reports family members of hostages are collapsing under the strain back in Korea. "Experts say the families are subject to as much stress as the hostages." This is so sad.
5:00 PM - The Korea Times reports that the hostages have been separated into groups of twos and threes. A Taliban spokesman said, "16 out of the 21 hostages are sick and most of them are women. ... two are seriously ill and might die if proper treatment was not provided in time." The spokesman said they mostly were suffering from illness caused by weather conditions and food.
Update 8/3/07 - Eugene E. Cho, the Korean-American pastor, continues to follow the situation closely. Today he wrote the following:
Korean diplomats are going to meet directly with the Taliban amidst the possibility of military action [Yonhap News]. Also, S. Koreans in Afghanistan for talks with Taliban [Reuters] and Taliban Willing to Meet Koreans for Direct Talk [JoongAng Daily].
However, another tension is mounting: relations between Korea and United States. In Korea, there is escalating public frustration, pressure, and anger about the perception of the lack of US support and cooperation. In my opinion, this is part of the Taliban strategy. While I completely understand the frustration of the Korean public, we must remain united.
“What can we do?” Not much but rather than being a bystander, we can enter into this situation and invite others to be aware and mindful, and to pray. Prayer matters - for us and for them. So, read this prayer…
Another interesting read is Newsweek’s exclusive interview with a Taliban commander and their strategy behind the abduction of these hostages. They were captured with hopes of swapping them for 115 Taliban prisoners. Despite what people initially perceived, this hostage situation did not have much, if anything, to do with the Christian Relief Team’s “proselytization.” While people can question the wisdom of this group entering into a “country of war,” the article points to the innocence of this Christian relief aid group [at least in my opinion].
Taliban Subcommander Abdullah was on the lookout for hostages. Ever since his superior, Commander Daro Khan, was arrested by U.S. forces in Ghazni province’s Qarabagh district in June, Abdullah has had his men patrolling the main Kabul-to-Kandahar highway that runs through the province, watching for foreigners to kidnap. The goal: to exchange the prisoners for Khan and other Taliban operatives in Afghan and U.S. custody.
On July 19, Abdullah’s men got lucky. A pair on motorcycle patrol spotted a large, white passenger bus, traveling with no armed security escort. The fighters immediately pulled their motorcycles alongside the bus and pointed an AK-47 and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher directly at the bus driver’s head. Rather than speeding up and trying to outrun the gunmen, the driver stopped and the 23 South Korean Christian aid workers riding on the bus were trapped.
9:30 PM David Pulliam surveys worldwide coverage of the Korean hostage crisis. Among other reports, he mentions The Economist and the Wall Street Journal, which does a good job reporting on "majority world" missionaries -- those hailing from continents other than Europe and North America.
Update 8/5/07 - Afghan doctors deliver medicine for Korean hostages.
Update 8/6/07 - Eugene Cho reports "Earlier today, there was a minor “breakthrough” as Korean officials were permitted to speak directly and make contact with one of the Korean hostages and communicate in Korean. In all previous interviews or phone calls, the hostages were never permitted to speak in Korean out of fear that they might reveal too much information about their situation or their whereabouts." Today President Bush meets with Afghan President, Hamid Karzai at Camp David. Update: Bush, Karzai "Won't Give In to Talliban" The Korean government is considering proposing a face-to-face meeting with the militants with an international NGO as mediator.
Update 8/7/07 - Taliban want to swap two Korean women hostages for two Taliban women held by the Afghan government. "Some 300 Afghans in the southern city of Kandahar on Monday called for the immediate release of the South Koreans in a street rally."