South Korea and the United States have agreed not to use force to free Korean nationals held hostage in Afghanistan, a South Korean diplomat said.
The diplomat's comments came after talks between the two countries in the Philippines, where representatives from the two countries were in Manila for a regional security forum.
The Taliban kidnapped 23 South Korean church volunteers south of Kabul last month and have executed two of them.
Of the 21 hostages, 18 are women. The Taliban have said they will kill the rest unless captured comrades were freed.
The body of the second South Korean hostage shot dead by his captors is expected to arrive home today.
The Afghan army yesterday warned villagers to evacuate areas near where the insurgents are thought to be holding the Koreans.