CHICAGO, IL (August 30, 2007) \u2013 \u201cWe are grateful that the remaining South Korean hostages have been released unharmed,\u201d said Evangelical Covenant Church President Glenn Palmberg upon learning of today\u2019s action by Taliban kidnappers in handing over seven individuals to Red Cross officials.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s action follows the release yesterday of 12 South Korean Christians, part of an original group of 23 South Korean Christian aid workers – most of them women – abducted by Taliban militants on July 19 as they traveled on a bus in Ghazni province in eastern Afghanistan. The kidnappers later executed two of the South Koreans. On August 13, they freed two women who were said to be ill.<\/p>\n
Palmberg had earlier issued a call to Covenanters to pray for the release of the hostages, also urging them to contact their elected representatives to encourage the U.S. government to increase diplomatic pressure for their release.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe release of these Christian brothers and sisters is an answer to a lot of prayer throughout the wider Covenant community and the Christian community as a whole,\u201d Palmberg said.<\/p>\n