The 2007 Taliban abduction of 23 South Korean missionaries in Afghanistan led to South Korea's troop withdrawal and a reported $20 million ransom.
Key Facts
- Hostages taken
- 23 South Korean missionaries
- Hostages killed
- 2 (Bae Hyeong-gyu and Shim Seong-min)
- Crisis duration
- Approx. 6 weeks (July 19 – August 30, 2007)
- Troops withdrawn
- 200 South Korean troops from Afghanistan
- Alleged ransom paid
- US$20 million (Taliban claim)
- Sponsoring organization
- Saemmul Presbyterian Church, South Korea
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A group of 23 South Korean missionaries from Saemmul Presbyterian Church traveled by bus from Kandahar to Kabul through Ghazni Province. Two local men boarded the bus and opened fire to stop it, enabling Taliban militants to seize the passengers on July 19, 2007.
Taliban militants held 23 South Koreans hostage for approximately six weeks in cellars and farmhouses across Ghazni Province. Two hostages—pastor Bae Hyeong-gyu and Shim Seong-min—were killed on July 25 and 30. Negotiations eventually secured the release of two women on August 13 and the remaining 19 hostages on August 29 and 30.
South Korea agreed to withdraw its 200 troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2007 as a condition of release. The Taliban also claimed receipt of a $20 million ransom, though South Korean authorities did not confirm this. The crisis intensified debate in South Korea over missionary activities in conflict zones.