ME and Ophelia

SOUTH KOREAN HOSTAGE
Kidnapped and beheaded in Iraq

A South Korean hostage threatened with execution in Iraq was killed yesterday by a group of al-Queda linked kidnappers after Seoul rejected demands for South Korea to stop contributing troops to U.S.-led forces in Iraq. The beheaded body of translator Kim Sun-il, 33 was found on the road between Baghdad and Falluja in Iraq. Today ABC reports that an Islamist web site has posted a videotape of the beheading. Condolences to young man's family, friends and colleagues. God Bless and Rest In Peace Kim Sun-il + + +

James Lee asks Where do we go from here? My answer is, we keep on going with even stronger resolve against the evil of terrorism and continue to help protect those who are defenceless in the face of abhorrent cruelty and savagery, and battle for equal human rights.

Don Park's post, detailing an Appeal by 365 Korean organisations to the Iraqi group that were holding the Korean national, has attracted comments that make interesting reading. Recently, a friend of mine advised me to follow what is happening North Korea. I do keep my eye on the news and will blog about North Korea at a later date.
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Update June 24: Don Park commented on this post, quote: "Kim Sun-il had an Iraqi security guard when he was kidnapped. It's sad that nobody cares about his disappearance. So sad." [Note, if anyone hears any further news on this, I would be interested to know. Thanks. Ingrid]
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The following inserts were added here on June 24:

June 24 Rajan Rishyakaran's post: "Kim Sun-il, RIP".

June 23 Instapundit's post in full:

"ANDREW BOLT WRITES THAT WE'RE BEHEADING OURSELVES, and the media are the knife":

"Not only did Saddam house and help terrorists, including Abu Abbas, Abu Nidal, Palestinian suicide bombers and a bomb-maker of the 1993 World Trade Centre attack, but his scientists worked on chemical and biological weapons up until the war, as the Iraq Survey Group now confirms. The day would surely come when Saddam's weapons and the terrorists who wanted them finally met.

This is what Bush, Britain's Tony Blair and our John Howard warned of. But now this history is being shamelessly rewritten in the media.

This week's 9/11 commission reports also said Saddam approached al-Qaida at least three times when it was based in Sudan, and again, it seems, when it was in Afghanistan.

Al-Qaida boss Osama bin Laden asked for training camps and weapons, but, the reports claim, "Iraq apparently never responded", and the talks "do not appear to have resulted in a collaborative relationship", although at least one Iraqi terrorist group did join his "broader Islamic army".

The reports for some reason don't discuss other reported links between Iraq and al-Qaida, but cautiously conclude: "We have no credible evidence that Iraq and al-Qaida co-operated on attacks against the United States."

So there were links between Saddam and al-Qaida, not to mention other terrorists, but no proof (yet) of active collaboration or co-operation in the September 11 attacks.

This is almost word for word what Bush has long said.

"We've had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with September 11th," he repeated on CNN last year. But there was evidence "that he has been involved with al-Qaida".

Yet ABC TV news said this week's reports prove al-Qaida "had no links with Saddam Hussein, as suggested by the White House", and ABC's The World Today added: "One of the Bush administration's central arguments for going to war with Iraq appears to be in tatters." As if Bush had blamed Iraq for the September 11 attacks. The liar.

More of this and al-Nashami can take it easy. We'll have cut our own throats already.

Ouch."