|
|
|
(LEAD) Two former hostages return home nearly one month after abduction by Taliban
SEOUL, Aug. 17 (Yonhap) -- Two female members of the group of 23 South Koreans taken hostage in mid-July by the Taliban in Afghanistan returned home Friday following their release earlier this week.
Kim Kyung-ja(L), Kim Gina(R) |
|
Kim Gina, 32, and Kim Kyung-ja, 37, landed at Incheon International Airport at 12:19 p.m. on board Asiana Air flight OZ 768 from New Delhi.
The Taliban kidnapped 23 South Korean civilians who were traveling in Afghanistan on church-sponsored volunteer work on July 19. Two male hostages were shot to death.
After starting direct negotiations with South Korean officials last Friday, the militant group said it would release two hostages unconditionally "as a gesture of good faith."
The two women were handed over to Afghan elders Monday before being moved to the Afghan Red Crescent Society office in the southern Afghan city of Ghazni. They then received medical treatment at a U.S. military base north of Kabul.
The kidnappers continue to demand that the hostages be exchanged for Taliban prisoners, a proposal the Afghan government has rejected, and are still holding the other 19 South Koreans.
"We are very sorry that we caused you to worry so much. Because of your help, we were able to be released, and we would like to heartily thank you," Kim Kyung-ja said after entering the entrance gate at the airport. "For now, we can do nothing but hope that the other people, who are still held by the Taliban in Afghanistan, get released soon."
"We are so obliged to you all for your concerns," Kim Gina said. "We are grateful that we were released."
The two hostages, after speaking briefly, did not answer any questions asked by reporters.
After being reunited with their anxious families, who were waiting at the airport, the two women left for a military hospital in Bundang, south of Seoul, for medical checkups, officials said.
The hospital was chosen because the government fears that the released hostages' exposure to media outlets might adversely affect ongoing negotiations between South Korean officials and the Taliban, according to the officials.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
|
| |
|
|
Home
