South Korea should face punitive measures for funding a terrorist organization
This from the blog: GOP Vixen - Bridget Johnson article in the LA Daily News
South Korea: Ally or foe? You make the call after reading my Los Angeles Daily News column today:Sphere: Related Content
“…South Korea’s National Intelligence Service chief, Kim Man-bok, flew to Afghanistan late last month and returned with the remaining 19 hostages. Immediately, reports surfaced that South Korea had paid a large sum to the Taliban in exchange for the evangelicals’ release. Al-Jazeera cited several sources that said a hefty sum had changed hands, and a Taliban figure - who later recanted under pressure from his superiors, who undoubtedly wanted to look like they were a powerful political bargaining force and not common criminals - told Reuters the amount was $20 million.
South Korea vehemently denied coughing up a ransom. But behind closed doors, the answer adopted shades of gray. ‘It is inappropriate to discuss whether a ransom was paid,’ Kim reportedly told a parliamentary committee Thursday. ‘It will be known later. I will speak at an appropriate time.’
Because the Taliban doesn’t just let valuable hostages go out of the goodness of their hearts - or for ‘demands’ that were a foregone conclusion - late last week I checked with U.S. government sources who unofficially confirmed that South Korea did, indeed, exchange cash for the hostages.
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