The 31 Day Ordeal...

As the unusually long rainy season comes to a close (well almost), the curtian falls upon another unusual occurrence. It was little over a month ago when the Taliban took several Koreans hostage. Since then, it has been a long reoccurring nightmare for the families and for the entire country.

Interestingly enough, the first day I picked up an English newspaper in Korea was the day the hostage situation first began. Since then, I gauged a variety of reactions from South Koreans I talk to daily. Many Koreans I talked to one-on-one blamed the hostages themselves for not listening to the South Korean government (who warned them against going to Afganistan) and causing a national emergency. It’s worth noting that now that the hostages are finally returning home, they are not being treated as heroes. They have had to apologize to their fellow Koreans for how much of a liability they have been for the entire country and perhaps the world

I also witnessed a protest against America at Seoul Station for its misplaced priorities and (in the protestors’ minds) generating the sorts of responses that terrorists resort to all around the world.

Here's a picture from that protest:






But then there was that one unspeakable possibility… to talk and negotiate directly with the Taliban. I first heard this perspective by a high-ranking individual at the school where I work and sort of shrugged it off as if it would never happen. A few weeks later, it became a reality.


Yes South Korea negotiated directly with the Taliban. Some may say that this was giving into the Taliban and empowering a terrorist agenda, but I see it a different way. Believe it or not, the Taliban has to deal with public relations just like any other organization, and after a while it just was not good for their public image to keep these Koreans, while demanding things from the Afghan government, about which the Koreans could do nothing. If you look at what the two actually agreed to (withdrawal of South Korean peacekeeping forces by the end of the year, ban on Christian missionaries, and removal of NGOs in the area), you will find it not much different than what the South Korean government would have done anyway (or so it claims).

The only missing pieces of the puzzles are the rumors circulating around (by the Japanese press and others) that the South Korean government paid a hefty ransom for the return of the hostages.

Wait..it’s raining again….