Citizens Criticize Government’s Failure to Prevent Tragic Death

By Soh Ji-young
Staff Reporter


Photo shows the last view of kidnapped Kim Sun-il before being executed by militants in Iraq Tuesday. The photo is taken from the broadcast by SBS.


Korea and the rest of the world on Wednesday reacted with horror and anguish to the news that Korean translator Kim Sun-il had been killed at the hands of Iraqi insurgents Tuesday after the government refused demands to drop its troop dispatch plan.
Public distress was even more pronounced since only a day earlier it was believed that progress was being made in negotiations with a good chance that he might be released unharmed.

A memorial altar was set up in Pusan Medical Center and Internet sites were filled with messages paying respects to the slain Korean.

While offering their deep condolences to the deceased, citizens expressed indignation and anger at the government’s failure to prevent the tragedy from occurring.

``I feel so helpless and distraught at the fact that the government cannot even protect the life of one of its people,’’ said a 29-year-old office worker named Song.

Kim Hye-jin, 33, also voiced criticisms of the government’s methods of dealing with the situation, saying that the hostage’s death illustrates the nation’s poor diplomatic abilities and lack of negotiation strategy.

Opponents of the troop dispatch, meanwhile, said that the tragedy again highlights the urgent need to pull Korean troops out of Iraq.

``To prevent tragedies similar to that of Kim, we must immediately suspend our plans to send troops and reach a national consensus on the matter,’’ said Park Sok-un, head of a civic coalition launching campaigns against the troop dispatch to Iraq.

In memory of Kim, thousands of activists, students and the public took part in a candlelight protest in Kwanghwamun, central Seoul, in the evening, calling on the government to immediately scrap the troop dispatch plan.

But there were also others who voiced caution, saying that canceling the troop dispatch plan would not be the answer.

``Agreements between governments should be honored. It is an issue of trust,’’ said Shim Jae-hun, an office worker in Seoul.

Arabic television channel Al Jazeera on Wednesday broadcast videotape footage of a terrified Kim kneeling, blindfolded and wearing an orange prison uniform.

Kim’s shoulders were heaving, and his mouth was open and moving as if gulping air and sobbing. Five hooded and armed men stood behind him, one with a large knife in his belt.

One of the masked men read a statement addressed to the Korean people: ``This is what your hands have committed. Your army has not come here for the sake of Iraqis, but for cursed America.’’

The video did not show Kim being executed. Al-Jazeera said the tape contained pictures of Kim, 33, being killed but the channel decided not to air the footage because it could be ``highly distressing to our audience.’’

Foreign Ministry officials confirmed his death, saying Kim’s beheaded body had been found 35 kilometers from Baghdad in the direction of Fallujah by the U.S. military at around 5:20 p.m. (KST 10:20 p.m.)

Kim, who worked as a Arabic translator for Gana General Trading Co., a Korean trading firm, is the third foreign hostage to be beheaded in the Middle East in little over a month.

Kim’s employer, Kim Chun-ho, said that the hostage went missing on May 31. After learning of his abduction by insurgents, his boss tried personally to negotiate Kim’s release with the help of an Iraqi lawyer and his staff.

Kim’s kidnappers, known to belong to an al-Qaida-linked terrorist network led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, initially set a deadline of sundown Monday, but postponed the execution after the South Korean government launched negotiation efforts through a variety of channels.

The militants later chose to carry out their threat as Seoul reaffirmed its plan to go ahead with the troop dispatch.

jysoh@koreatimes.co.kr