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(LEAD) Hundreds ignore rain to attend funeral for hostage victim
SEOUL, Aug. 4 (Yonhap) -- Wiping away tears that dripped down their cheeks, about 300 friends and relatives said goodbye Saturday to Shim Sung-min, the second Korean hostage killed by the Taliban militants last month.
Shim, 29, was found shot dead in central Afghanistan Tuesday, 12 days after he and 22 other South Korean aid workers were kidnapped on a bus travelling from Kabul to the southern city of Kandahar. His body arrived home Thursday.
Mourners wept in the funeral hall of Seoul National University's Bundang Hospital in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, as they listened to the comforting words of Rev. Park Eun-jo of Saemmul Presbyterian Church, to which the kidnapped volunteers belong. Among the mourners were families of the remaining captives.
They comforted each other as a 10-minute video clip was shown containing Shim's images and voice as well as messages from friends.
Rev. Park said the young man went to Afghanistan "to do important work and thus his death was not in vain.
"If we follow in Sung-min's steps of love and service, we will come to see the kind of world that he dreamed of," Park said.
During the hour-long service, Sung-min's father, Shim Jin-pyo, said in tears, "My son, Sung-min! I hope your dream comes true in a bigger way there. Please pray in heaven for the safety of the remaining 21 captives together with pastor Bae."
Shim's family wailed as his coffin was moved to a mortuary car for transportation to Seoul National Hospital in central Seoul. The family donated the body to the hospital for medical research.
The first hostage victim was Bae Hyung-kyu, a 42-year-old pastor and the leader of the kidnapped Koreans. He was found dead from gunshot wounds in Afghanistan on July 25. But his family said they will not hold a funeral before the remaining hostages return safely home.
Before attending the funeral, 16 family members of the captives visited an Islamic mosque in Seoul to plead for the help of Muslims in winning the release of hostages.
"We asked mosque officials to convey our letter of appeal to Islamic groups across the world," said Lee Jong-hwan, elder brother of Lee Ji-young, one of the captives. He added that the letter was written in Korean, English and Arabic.
The Taliban said all the remaining hostages are ill with two in serious condition. The captors have threatened to kill more if their demand for the release of at least eight jailed rebels is not met. But Kabul and Washington have rejected South Korea's appeals for "flexibility" on the demand. Seoul is seeking direct talks with the Taliban kidnappers.
sshim@yna.co.kr
(END)
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