Two freed Koreans to leave Afghanistan soon

KABUL, Aug 14 (Reuters) Two South Korean women freed by Taliban kidnappers are in a good condition and undergoing medical checks in Afghanistan today before flying home ''very soon'', a Korean embassy spokesman said.

The pair were the first hostages to be released by Taliban kidnappers who seized 23 Korean church volunteers from a bus in Ghazni province on the main road south from the capital Kabul last month. The Taliban have killed two male hostages.

''They are in a good condition and they are staying in a safe place under our protection and are undergoing medical checks,'' the spokesman said. He said they would return to Korea ''very soon, but still their flight schedule has not been fixed yet''.

Taliban insurgents said they had freed the two women as they were seriously ill, but they were able to walk to a waiting Red Cross vehicle at their handover yesterday and both Korean and Afghan officials said they were relatively well.

The rebels said the release was also a gesture of goodwill, to encourage the Afghan government to free rebel prisoners in exchange for the remaining 19 captives, 16 of them women.

The Taliban have threatened to kill the remaining hostages if their demand is not met.

The Afghan government has refused to free Taliban prisoners, saying that would just encourage more kidnapping.

REUTERS CS VC1240