Beheading of Korean hostage in Iraq causes outrage in South Korea

Producer: Bharati Jagdish
First broadcast: 23 June 04, Radio Singapore International

The beheading of a South Korean hostage has caused shock and outrage in the country.

Kim Sun Il's headless body was found today by US troops beside a road between Fallujah and Baghdad.

Seoul had refused to give in to the militants' demands to scrap its troop deployment plans in Iraq in exchange for Kim's safety.

The government said it had tried its best to negotiate with the captors, but it did not work.

For more on this, Bharati Jagdish (BJ) spoke to Professor Lee Jung-Hoon (LJH) from Seoul's Yonsei University.

LJH: "Just the fact that he was killed, what more decapitated, has brought about tremendous shock and anger in Korea because just yesterday, there was a sense of hope that negotiations might be possible, that he might, in fact, be released. But obviously, that was not the case. We woke up to this terrible news and we're angry and we're shocked."

BJ: Who are you angry with - with the South Korean government for not being able to rescue this man or for not giving in to the militant's demands - or are you angry with the militants?

LJH: "There the common denominator. We're all, across the board, very angry with the militants - these terrorists who kidnapped a South Korean citizen who was there, not to wage war, but simply to help bring order and success in Iraq, in helping the Iraqis. He was a completely innocent bystander. We're angry with the terrorists, but we're also angry with the government because we feel that the government had not done enough to rescue him. There've been some rumours that he might have been kidnapped as early as the 30th of May. So many people are wondering why the government did not manage to make any progress for so many days. Some segments of the Korean population are angry with the government's decision to send more troops and these are the people who are anti-American. They feel that the government should reverse its decision to send troops to Iraq."

BJ: Do people in South Korea understand the dilemma the government was facing? It is a difficult compromise to make isn't it? How do you decide between saving a hostage through negotiations with the militants - assuming that there's very little chance of a rescue operation - and giving terrorists the message that "we will not be intimidated by your tactics"?

LJH: "Well, absolutely, but there have been cases of kidnapped citizens being released. At least one example has already been talked about in Korea, that of the Japanese citizens who were recently also held hostage in Iraq and subsequently released because the Japanese government had some contacts who helped with the negotiations."

BJ: What more do you think the South Korean government could have done to secure this man's release?

LJH: "Personally, my feeling was that this was doomed from the start. It was very clear what the terrorists was asking. They wanted the government to reverse its decision to send troops to Iraq and that cannot happen at all costs. We can't give in to terrorists. They appeared quite ambivalent about negotiations too. I always felt uneasy about this kidnapping. Since the government cannot reverse its decision, I felt this would eventually lead to the death of this hostage."

BJ: Obviously, the South Korean government has not bowed to pressure from the militants and is going ahead with its plan to send troops to Iraq, but do you think public opinion in South Korea may make the government ultimately reverse its decision? Could public outrage over this tragedy have some effect?

LJH: "The legislature, especially the young legislators, are putting pressure on the government. They and other civic organisations are calling for a reversal of the decision. Pressure is mounting, but the government has made a firm decision and that's final. It has reconfirmed that, so I don't think there's any hope of a change of stance."

BJ: Do you expect the militants to be discouraged because, obviously, their strategy is not working; governments are not giving in to their demands? Or do you expect them to continue with these kidnappings in the hope that these tactics will work eventually or at least succeed in agitating governments?

LJH: "I think these militants have a very firm conviction. It's a wrong conviction, but they believe in what they're doing, even though it may not be working. I don't think the fact that governments have not given in yet, will dissuade them from continuing to put the pressure on the international community by continuing to kidnap and commit terrorist attacks. I think we should be bracing ourselves for more of these incidents."