Afghan politician raps deal that freed S. Koreans

KABUL, Afghanistan - Nineteen South Koreans flew out of Afghanistan yesterday after spending nearly six weeks in Taliban captivity, as Afghanistan's main opposition political party criticized the agreement that led to their release.

Sayed Mustafa Kazimi, a spokesman for the National Front party, said the Afghan government should not have allowed South Korea to hold direct talks with the Taliban.

He also condemned Seoul for allowing the Korean missionary group to journey to Afghanistan, saying its presence reinforced Taliban claims that missionaries were trying to convert Muslims.

Before leaving Kabul, two former hostages apologized to their government for their capture in an interview with South Korean television, the Associated Press reported. The two, Yoo Kyung-sik, 55, and Suh Myung-hwa, 29, said they regretted the problems they had caused.

"I can't sleep due to concerns that we caused so much trouble," Yoo told South Korea's Yonhap news agency. "I feel very sorry."

The women said some hostages fell to the ground when they learned two members of their group were shot dead by the Taliban soon after they were taken hostage.

"All I could think about was staying alive," Suh said. "I didn't feel any pain under captivity, I guess, because I was in a panic the whole time. But now that the tension is gone my body aches all over."

The women spoke at a hotel in Kabul before leaving with the other hostages for a flight to Dubai. From there, the hostages were expected to fly to Korea today.

Since releasing the hostages, the Taliban have vowed to kidnap more foreigners.

Under the agreement that led to the hostages' release, South Korea reaffirmed a pledge to withdraw its 200 troops from Afghanistan by the end of the year.

The government also agreed to prevent any South Korean missionaries from going to Afghanistan.