Households Of South Korean Hostages In Afghanistan Seek Solace, And An answer
The Taliban have killed two of the seven male hostages. They've threatened to kill extra hostages except the United States and Afghan governments swap them for insurgent prisoners. President Bush and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan reaffirmed their position on Monday after a meeting, which was watched anxiously by the hostages’ family members, that “there must be no quid professional quo” that might embolden the Taliban.
“We are not looking for world order and rules to be undermined for the sake of the discharge and secure return of the Koreans,” the South Korean households stated Tuesday in a joint statement addressed to the 2 presidents. Desperate family members posted messages on YouTube and other Internet websites, appealing for international assist. “Please hold on just a little bit extra,” Ryu Haeng-sik, 36, mentioned in a video message addressed to his spouse, Kim Yoon-young, one of many 16 feminine hostages.
Mr. Ryu carried a digital photo of his spouse smiling, which she had despatched to him by cellphone from the airport in Seoul. The hostages all belonged to the church right here in Bundang, an upscale town south of Seoul, and their families collect every day in a windowless underground room to examine the Web and television for the newest information, and to pray. “It’s unbearable to be alone. I come here every single day because it helps to be with other family members,” Mr. Website positioning said.
“Eating feels like a sin, sleeping feels like a sin, when I think about my youngsters. I've by no means felt so helpless as a father. The South Korean authorities has been beneath intense pressure to free the hostages, though some bloggers have criticized the Christian volunteers for going to Afghanistan despite warnings from the government in Seoul.
Search engine marketing finds what occurred to his youngsters each an outrage and a puzzle. “Kidnapping people for their religion — this is one thing I just cannot perceive,” he said. Mr. Web optimization stated Myeong-hwa was always making an attempt to assist people. She liked to look after a disabled cousin. As soon as she requested her father for cash to help pay the tuition of a poor pal. After turning into a nurse 5 years in the past, she used her vacations to join church-sponsored aid missions abroad.
She would return and tell her mother and father concerning the “big darkish eyes and little hands” of the youngsters she met, Mr. Web optimization stated. Myeong-hwa was married in December. She was planning to emigrate to the United States. However before going, she needed to introduce her brother to the totally different world she had encountered as a volunteer worker abroad. Mr. Search engine optimization stated he knew from experience that somewhat effort from his kids might go a long way towards helping kids in Afghanistan.
Within the years after the Korean War, Mr. Seo’s brothers would come residence from school carrying powdered milk handed out by American aid organizations. “We were residing in rags at the time,” he stated. “Our mom would steam it in a pot, and it hardened into a milk bar. How scrumptious it was. “Children are the way forward for a nation,” he added.