23 Korean Christians held hostage in Afghanistan

Taliban personnel announced on Monday that they will wait until Tuesday evening before they begin killing 23 South Korean hostages in Afghanistan. The Koreans, Christians on a brief visit to Afghanistan to do charitable work, were kidnapped in Ghazni province on Friday.

The hostages are members of Saemmul Community Church in Bundang (just south of Seoul) and had come to Afghanistan intending to volunteer in hospitals and kindergartens from July 13 to July 23. Initial reports said that the Taliban were holding them hostage and would begin killing them if South Korea did not recall the 210 troops it has currently serving in Afghanistan. However, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi said on Saturday that the hostages themselves were guilty of carrying out illegal "missionary activities." He added, "Afghanistan is an Islamic republic where conversion from Islam or attempting to convert Muslims is regarded as a serious crime in several areas."

The South Korean government is negotiating with the Taliban to free the hostages. Meanwhile, the Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo criticized Korean missionary efforts in an editorial, arguing, "It is simply futile for Koreans to engage in missionary or other religious activities in a country like Afghanistan, which has a history of deep hatred toward Christianity and is wracked by gunfights, kidnappings and suicide bombings.... Religious groups should realize once and for all that dangerous missionary and volunteer activities in Islamic countries including Afghanistan not only harm Korea's national objectives, but also put other Koreans under a tremendous amount of duress." But the victims' pastor, Rev. Bang Young-gyun, denied that his parishioners' activities in Afghanistan had been "missionary works." He announced that any of his church's humanitarian projects that were "unwanted" by Afghans would be suspended, and those working in such programs would be returned home to Korea.

Other sources: Taliban extend hostage deadline (Al Jazeera), 18 Koreans kidnapped in Afghanistan (AP), South Korean kidnap victims' church halts some volunteer work in Afghanistan (International Herald Tribune).