5 r3 s2 d% ^- uThe husband of one of 21 South Korean hostages held by the Taliban has posted a tearful YouTube video to his "dearest wife", saying he hates himself for sleeping while she suffers in Afghanistan. ; o" a* y f( ^' S0 k5 T, b' z, A* j: z
Rhyu Haeng-Shik, 36, appealed tearfully for his wife's release in the first of a series of home videos made by relatives of the hostages. 7 _( i+ q2 T I- h/ w 5 R0 `7 G6 z! w* y( Y; `! I1 L"You must be very sick and in hard conditions, and I disgust and hate myself for eating and sleeping," he said, according to the caption in English.. j! g3 Z8 i* {
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His wife Kim Yoon-young, 35, and 22 other Korean aid workers were seized on July 19 while travelling by bus in insurgency-plagued southern Afghanistan.$ M0 x. W) M( B
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The Taliban are demanding the release of jailed insurgents in exchange for the Koreans and have already killed two male captives. / v6 \) N& y' s, G' M; E & X0 J# @; W$ ~, W) a4 Y' u$ X6 ~"I earnestly hope you can get over this difficult time with healthy and positive thoughts [of meeting again] while keeping your dear children in mind," Mr Rhyu said in the two-and-a-half minute video entitled "To my dearest wife in Afghanistan". 5 Z; \2 [3 N& v! Z; M5 E' @4 {: R% R
Families of the hostages plan to post the videos on major internet sites at home and abroad in an appeal to the Taliban and the world. F7 Z& t$ ^4 ?) s/ h. y 2 F. R8 F5 J. J* Z' v0 o' p"We have announced appeals several times but they were not enough to convey our anxiety," Cha Sung-Min, a representative of the families, told the Korea Times. 8 i) z+ o4 e: h+ e: V J9 W6 M) P. a! t3 w* a
A former program director from a TV company is helping with production of the clips, which will have subtitles in Korean, English and an Afghan language.. i! B# e5 f# L7 W9 ?
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- AFP
