6 B$ Z$ f9 D2 z8 X% f) H ! E6 l5 z4 |# ?3 [# LThe 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.! i" s3 n( s0 l3 w6 c* W: z _
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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.1 I, @3 W i/ }( v1 _- D4 Q1 I7 f
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"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. 4 ]9 Y- s! H& c3 s! a2 e& ^4 R% n! x8 u0 T" u
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. & x( a( Y% A5 \6 }5 v+ k 1 s2 \2 J; ?8 w KThe Taliban are demanding the release of jailed insurgents in exchange for the Koreans and have already killed two male captives.4 I( H4 b" T/ v$ _ y
- z1 g* S0 [* p6 Z, ]; y* S"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".6 c E4 O/ E# q
6 E1 Z, L" T" V2 NFamilies 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. $ D. F( o9 }; y3 i& S5 w: G6 ]" G6 y& m- q. e. }0 K' ^
"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.$ ?' o8 ^% I8 Z+ }7 M9 e+ G
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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. 6 J7 b- t C( i1 A/ O g- R& k 5 ?$ [; r6 \+ \7 h1 L- AFP