South Korean Beheaded

The enemy strikes again, this time by beheading South Korean Kim Sun-il:

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) – An Iraqi militant group has beheaded its South Korean hostage, Al-Jazeera television reported Tuesday. The South Korean foreign ministry issued a statement confirming the report.
Kim’s body was found by the U.S. military between Baghdad and Fallujah, west of the capital, at 5:20 p.m. Iraq time, said South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Shin Bong-kil.
The South Korean embassy in Bagdad confirmed that the body was Kim’s by studying a picture of the remains it received by e-mail, Shin said.
“It breaks our heart that we have to announce this unfortunate news,” he said.
Kim, 33, worked for a South Korean company supplying the U.S. military in Iraq and was abducted last week, according to the South Korean government.
Kim was shown in the videotape kneeling, blindfolded and wearing an orange jumpsuit similar to those issued to prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The tape showed five hooded men standing behind Kim, one reading a statement and gesturing with his right hand. Another captor had a big knife slipped in his belt.
One of the masked men said the message was intended for the Korean people. “This is what your hands have committed. Your army has not come here for the sake of Iraqis, but for cursed America.”

The Japanese did many more terrible things — both to soldiers and civilians — during World War II, and it’s amazing to me that the enemy would think that these tactics of murdering individual prisoners (or intimidation by displaying images of the carnage) would work today. The problem is, people tend to forget the nature of war, and they think that wishing it away or running away will make the war go away.
This beheading could just as easily have happened in Saudi Arabia, or anywhere else. It’s going to go on for a long time, and I think it should heighten — not weaken — the determination of the people it was intended to shock.
UPDATE: The video can be streamed here. (Link via Kevin Aylward.)
UPDATE: If the above does not work, try this link.


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5 responses to “South Korean Beheaded”

  1. Varius Crispinus Avatar
    Varius Crispinus

    : Kim was shown in the videotape kneeling,
    : blindfolded and wearing an orange jumpsuit
    : similar to those issued to prisoners at
    : Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
    Or a jumpsuit similar to … well, orange jump suit pretty much captures it. That little explicative detail feels like a subtle effort at equating the killers in Iraq with US guards at Guantanamo.
    At least the orange jump suit should put to rest the conspiracy theorists wondering why Nick Berg was wearing an orange jump suit…unless the FBI killed Kim-Sun-il as well!
    If there’s a lawn chair in any of this footage, we’ve got ’em!

  2. Hot Abercrombie Chick Avatar

    Next Beheading Victim? – South Korean Kim Sun-il Video

    As was unfortunately expected, Kim Sun-il appears to have been executed. These beheadings are becoming disturbingly routine news.
    images from the hostage video:

  3. skeeter Avatar
    skeeter

    The score is 3-0, three heads to none. Its time to fight violence with violence. Its the only way to get this enemies attention.

  4. Bryndler Avatar
    Bryndler

    if the terrorists want their “brothers” returned to them, then they should be returned…….minus the head!!!
    If they are outraged by how we treat prisnors…….maybe we shouldn’t take any!!!

  5. bulbul Avatar
    bulbul

    simply inhumane.