South Korean hostages face cool welcome home

SEOUL, Aug 31 (Reuters) South Korean hostages set free by Afghan rebels after six weeks in captivity are likely to receive a mixed homecoming with many awaiting their weekend arrival with relief but also seeing them as largely to blame for their ordeal.

Seven remaining hostages were handed over to officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross in southeast Afghanistan late Yesterday.

Twelve were freed on Wednesday and two earlier. Two of the 23 Christian volunteers abducted on July 19 had been killed.

''This crisis raised grave questions about the divide between the country's responsibility and the responsibility of individuals,'' the mainstream JoongAng Ilbo newspaper said in an editorial today.

The six-week hostage ordeal gripped the country, leading thousands to hold candlelight vigils praying for the hostages' safe return.

At the same time, many people harshly criticised the suburban Seoul church that sent the group to Afghanistan and the volunteers themselves for ignoring numerous government warnings and making an ill-advised mission to an obvious danger spot.

''They did a great disservice to the government and to the people, and also disgraced the honour of the country,'' said Chung Kyung-joon, a 23-year-old resident of Seoul. ''They must pay a price for that.'' South Korea, which is sensitive to how it is perceived in the international community, has been criticised by some governments after it struck a deal with the Taliban.

Some Afghan officials say South Korea agreed to pay a ransom during negotiations with the Taliban, which one foreign diplomat said started out as a demand for 20 million dollars.

South Korean officials have not confirmed this, only saying the government did what it had to.

The government was praised at home after the Taliban began freeing the hostages on Wednesday for its part in securing the release. But some said Seoul may have set a dangerous precedent in directly negotiating with the Taliban.

There was relief among the public that the hostages and their family members are now beginning to put the prolonged anguish behind them. Some said the entire country learned an expensive lesson.

Choi Moon-young, 24, said the hostages deserved a compassionate welcome home for what they had gone through. ''I know some people see them in a bad light, but they are coming back alive and we should be happy about that.'' The ordeal has left some of the relatives divided, with one father considering a lawsuit against the church and the government. It has also caused a rift among evangelical churches.

Many church leaders said they have learned a grave lesson and would be rethinking their missionary approach, but others said nothing in the hostage crisis proved their work was misguided.

''The Christian community in Korea with its principle of love for our neighbours cannot help expressing deep concern about the part in the agreement of banning Christian missionary work in Afghanistan,'' the Korea World Missions Association said.

The association, which is one of the main Christian groups in the country, said in a statement that relief work abroad must be stepped up, even if it means taking the role of negotiating for the release of any future hostages from the government.

South Korea is the second largest source of missionaries after the United States, with almost 17,000 abroad.

REUTERS GL RK0940