S Korea confirms hostage death
2004-06-22 20:21
Seoul - A South Korean hostage in Iraq was killed despite government efforts to release him, South Korea said on Wednesday.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry confirmed a report on the pan-Arab al-Jazeera station that Kim Sun-il, a 33-year-old man whose captors had threatened to behead him, was dead.
Kim's body was found by the US military between Baghdad and Fallujah, west of the capital, at 22:20 on Tuesday Korea time, said Shin Bong-kil, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry.
The South Korean embassy in Baghdad confirmed that the body was Kim by studying a picture of the remains it received by e-mail, Shin said.
"It breaks our heart that we have to announce this unfortunate news," he said.
- AP