Korean hostage release imminent

SEOUL - South Korea said it expects the remaining seven Korean church volunteers held by the Taleban in Afghanistan to be released soon.

"We anticipate that the remaining seven will be released this afternoon," presidential spokesman Chon Ho-seon said at a news briefing.

Taleban insurgents freed 12 of the 19 Christian volunteers it had held for nearly six weeks on Wednesday.

The hostages were among 23 South Koreans seized on July 19 from a bus in Ghazni province. The rebels initially demanded the release of Taleban members held prisoner by the Afghan government. The militants killed two hostages and then released another two earlier in what it said was a goodwill gesture.

Prior to the kidnapping, South Korean warned its citizens not to travel to Afghanistan and blocked many of its growing legion of evangelical Christians from going there due to safety concerns.

The South Korean government won praise on Thursday for its part in securing the release of the 19 hostages, but critics said Seoul might have set a dangerous precedent in directly negotiating with the Taleban.

- REUTERS