Medicine Delivered to Abductees

Chief presidential secretary for foreign and security affairs Baek Jong-cheon, who arrived at Kabul as President Roh Moo-hyun’s special envoy, met Afghan President Hamid Karzai at 4:30 p.m. yesterday (Korea time) and delivered President Roh’s message aimed at promptly releasing the Korean abductees.

In a meeting with the Afghan president held at the president’s residence on the 11th day since the Koreans were abducted, Secretary Baek reportedly requested the Afghan government show a more flexible attitude in the negotiations for releasing the hostages with the Taliban.

Fearing the debilitating health of the hostages, the government delivered medical supplies it acquired in Afghanistan to the Taliban through the Ghazni government. Other medicines and necessities prepared in Korea also arrived in Afghan on that day.

For the second time, Reuters released the voice of a female hostage. Yu Chung-hwa (39), who worked as an English translator and who is a leader of the group, said, “We have eaten just some fruits. We are all sick,” indicating that the hostages’ health is deteriorating due to the prolonged detention.

ecolee@donga.com triplets@donga.com