Taped on June 2 Calm in His Answering

The videotape that APTN, the TV medium of the Associated Press, aired on June 24 included the scene where Kim Sun-il was given a hearing right after his abduction late last month.

In the videotape, Mr. Kim stated his name and birth date (September 13, 1970). If his identity had been confirmed based on this information, it is likely that his entry and departure conditions to the country, his firm, and his whereabouts within Iraq could have been quickly discovered.

In the videotape aired this day, it seems that the AP did not air the entire contents as part of the news reported by the AP was not included.

According to the AP, along with his birth place (Busan), Mr. Kim stated, “Three days ago, I delivered pillows and sunglasses to the U.S. military camp.” This part enables the estimation of the location of his current job (supply of goods and services to the U.S. military), not to mention the time of abduction. Considering this, the time of taping is confirmed to be June 2.

Mr. Kim was wearing a black t-shirt with the word “BODY GLOVE,” the client name of Gana Trading Company where he was working, written inside a white oval.

He appeared to be tidy and clean with a short haircut, and maintained a calm expression throughout, which is in contrast to his nervous and haggard looks on Al-Jazeera TV right before his execution.

The question-and-answer-based hearing included a man who did not appear on the screen and was asking questions while Mr. Kim answered. Perhaps as an effort to win the favor of the abduction group, Mr. Kim bluntly expressed his antipathy towards the U.S. The following is the three-minute long content of the media image that APTN aired.

Young-Sik Kim spear@donga.com