Afghan authorities today recovered the body of a second South Korean hostage shot dead by Taliban kidnappers who threatened to kill more of their 21 captives if Kabul fails to free rebel prisoners by 7:30 am tomorrow.
The blood-stained body of the bespectacled man was dumped in a field of clover beside a road in Arzoo, a village some 10 km (6 miles) from the eastern city of Ghazni.
The mother of Shim Sung-min, who was kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan, after hearing about her son's murder in Seongnam, south of Seoul Photo: Reuters
"If the Kabul administration and Korean government do not give a positive reply to our demand about the release of Taliban prisoners by tomorrow 1200 (local time), then we will start killing other hostages," Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf said by telephone from an unknown location.
President Hamid Karzai's spokesman said bowing to Taliban demands would encourage more kidnapping, adding "we are doing what is the best for the interests of the hostages, and government".
Karzai came under harsh criticism in March for releasing a group of Taliban prisoners in exchange for an Italian journalist.
Taliban spokesman Yousuf said Afghan negotiators had not contacted the Taliban since the second hostage was killed on Monday and said the insurgents suspected the Afghan government and foreign troops were planning a rescue bid.
Any attempt to rescue the hostages by force would put the Koreans' lives at risk, he said.
The victim was identified as Shim Sung-min, 29, a former employee of an IT firm who did volunteer work to help the poor. He was shot after the expiry of other deadlines the Taliban had set for the release of rebel prisoners.