S Korea grieves beheaded hostage

Some 3,000 people attended the ceremony

Thousands of mourners have attended the funeral of Kim Sun-il, the South Korean translator taken hostage by militants in Iraq and beheaded last week.

Government officials and politicians joined friends and relatives for the three-hour memorial in southern Busan.

"The beloved Sun-il has left us, but he will serve as the seed that was buried to bear fruit for peace in Iraq and the Middle East," one of his sisters said.

Kim's death has fuelled demands that Seoul withdraw its troops from Iraq.

Some 3,000 people gathered for the funeral in a gymnasium. The building was decorated with a large photo of Kim and a banner which read "I love Iraq", part of a message he had emailed home.

Kim's family spoke of their love for the people of Iraq

Kim's relatives sobbed as his coffin, covered with white chrysanthemums and red roses, was carried into the gym.

Thousands more people are expected to join rallies later on Wednesday calling on the government to reverse its decision to send 3,000 more troops to join its several hundred military personnel already in Iraq.

Kim's militant Islamic captors, a group called Jamaat al-Tawhid and Jihad led by a top al-Qaeda member, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, had demanded that South Korea pull its troops out of Iraq, and cancel plans to deploy more.

The new troops are due to help in reconstruction, and are to be based near the Kurdish-controlled town of Irbil, which has been largely peaceful.

The beheaded body of the 33-year-old translator was found on the road between Baghdad and Falluja on 22 June.

South Korea's President, Roh Moo-hyun, has expressed sorrow over Kim's death but has refused to change his plans.

He ordered an investigation into his capture, amid allegations that the Foreign Ministry was informed of the incident several days before it made it public.