UPDATE #3: The South Korean government is coming under increasing criticism for their handling of the hostage crisis:

South Korea’s Munhwa Ilbo newspaper wrote that the handling of the crisis left the country with a "weighty burden" because it "shook" the international principle of not negotiating with terror groups and raised the Taliban’s status, helping it act "like a government."

"International skepticism that South Korean diplomacy is distanced from principle could remain a considerable burden," the newspaper said in an editorial. "We are concerned that this may give a wrong perception that South Korea can be pushed." [Chang Jae-soon, AP]

South Korea can be pushed around.  The country has been getting pushed around by the North Koreans for years so is it any surprise that the country can be pushed around by the Taliban?

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UPDATE #2: CNN is reporting that 12 hostages have now been released while the Marmot is reporting that Chung Doo-hwan was willing to trade himself for the hostages if they were not released.  Chung Doo-hwan hanging out with a bunch of Taliban; now that would be a sight to see.  Is it still to late to offer him up?

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UPDATE #1: Yonhap is reporting that three hostages Ahn Hye-jin, 31, Lee Jeung-ran, 33, and 34-year-old Han Ji-young have been released.

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The ransom payment laundered by the Saudis appears to have successfully gone through as the Korean government is reporting that the hostages will be released in the coming days.  Here is what the Korean government gave the Taliban in return:

The two sides agreed to a three-point deal, which included the withdrawal of 210 non-combatant Korean troops from the Central Asian nation by the end of the year, presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon said.

The other terms of the agreement are a ban on Korean Christian missionaries traveling to Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the departure of all Korean non-governmental organizations from Afghanistan, Cheon said.

An Afghan source privy to the negotiations told The Korea Times that in addition the militants had agreed to grant safe passage to the Korean troops during their withdrawal, and had dropped their demand for the release of Taliban prisoners in exchange for the hostages. [Korea Times]

The Korean government claims they paid no ransom, but anyone who follows Korean politics knows this is more than likely untrue especially considering the fact that they already paid a ransom for the two hostages that have already been released.  The Chosun Ilbo is already reporting that an under the table deal was cut.  This is a huge financial and propaganda win for the Taliban and expect a whole lot more of this funded by South Korean taxpayers dollars:

Also Tuesday, a suicide bomber attacked NATO troops helping build a bridge in eastern Afghanistan, killing three American soldiers, a U.S. official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because not all families had been notified. NATO, in announcing the attack, said six soldiers also were wounded. [AP]

You can read a whole lot more over at One Free Korea, Marmot’s Hole, and Michelle Malkin.

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