BBC NEWS | South Asia | Transcript: Korean hostage interview

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Thursday, 26 July 2007, 20:41 GMT 21:41 UK

Transcript: Korean hostage interview

One of the 22 Korean hostages being held by the Taleban in Afghanistan has pleaded for urgent help. She managed to talk by telephone for a few minutes, in Dari and Korean, with an Afghan reporter. Here is a transcript of the interview:

Hostage: Yes, I can hear you. My Dari language is very poor, but I will try. All of us are in difficulty. Day by day, it is getting very difficult. Our situation is dangerous. You tell them to do something to get us released. You say something if you want to.

We are Korean. We are 23 people. My name is Kwan Ju. I am from Seoul. It is very difficult...(inaudible). You do something so they release us soon...(inaudible)... If there is a Korean person in the embassy, we can speak with them in Korean.

The Koreans are members of a Christian group

Hostage pleads for help

Korean hostages

Hostage: Now I will speak in Korean.

Reporter: Yes, go ahead.

Hostage: We want from the Koreans, from the UN and human rights people to exchange us and that they do this. We are all sick and we have a lot of problems.

It's finished. My name is Kwan Ju and for the past seven days now we are with the Taleban... (inaudible).

(Reporter asks her whether she received medicine)

Hostage: (inaudible line) We are working with a clinic.

Reporter: Give the phone to somebody else...

(Call apparently ends)

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