Koreans torn after beheading

2004-06-23 10:27

Seoul - South Koreans grappled on Wednesday with the unnerving reality that they had become an international terrorism target.

The beheading of a South Korean translator in Iraq stunned a nation that has never sought a high profile on the world stage and remains deeply divided over its role in the US-led coalition in Iraq.

Kim Sun-Il's killing triggered an outpouring of grief and anger here while polarising opinion about the deployment of an extra three thousand troops beginning in August who will join over 600 already deployed in Iraq.

It also sparked calls for revenge which led the authorities to tighten security at mosques, airports, embassies and other key public buildings.

"The government must cancel its plan to dispatch troops for the US-led war so that such a tragic event will not happen again," said Choi Woo-Suk, a 29-year-old Seoul office worker.

Many young South Koreans blame the government for the death of Kim, saying his beheading by Islamic militants was a direct result of the government's decision to send troops to Iraq at the request of the United States.

Less than Bush's poodle

They say it is not too late to scrap the troop dispatch and resolve the painful dilemma it brings.

Others direct their rage at the United States for engaging in what they call an unjust war in Iraq and pressuring long-time ally Seoul to take part.

"You are less than Bush's poodle," said a commentator on an internet message board, referring the Seoul government's compliance with the US request for troops.

Most older and more conservative people, however, are more likely to favour the troop dispatch and even to look for revenge for the killing.

"I feel shocked but we have no other choice but to go ahead with the troop dispatch. This is a matter of trust between South Korea and the United States," Son Kil-Soo, 55, a shop owner in Seoul, commented.

"We should not forget that US soldiers shed blood for us."

South Korea has never been a terrorist target, if North Korea is removed from the equation, but must now get used to the uncomfortable position, the conservative Chosun daily said.

"We must now understand that we have become a full-fledged target for terrorist attacks, and prepare for them," it said,

As emotions ran high, angry South Koreans crashed the Defence Ministry's website with messages demanding revenge.

"An innocent son of our nation was murdered. If you allow me to volunteer for Iraq, I will fight terrorists to avenge his death," read one message.

"We should declare war against terrorists," read a placard at a rally in Seoul by 50 right-wing activists who also burned portraits of Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, the leader of Islamic militants who beheaded Kim.

Near the US embassy, a rival group of about 100 activists chanted anti-US slogans and waved placards reading "US and Korean governments killed Kim Sun-Il."

- AFP