South Korean hostage execution was delayed.

An Iraqi militant group beheaded its South Korean hostage, officials said Tuesday, just hours after a go-between said the execution had been delayed and there were negotiations for the man's release.

The body of the man has since been recovered, and despite the South Korean Foreign Ministry denying the fact that he had been beheaded, the coalition deputy operations chief plainly said that 'the man had been beheaded, and the head was recovered with the body'.

The body was found 22 miles west of Baghdad, near 5:30. South Korean television, unempathetically, showed Kim's family members crying and mourning his loss on national television in their home.
Unusually (when compared to Nick Berg and Paul Johnson), there was no video of the execution, but the South Korea embassy in Baghdad was sent a photograph of the remains via e-mail.

Source

No one has yet to speculate on the significance of the method of execution, beheading in comparison to something more efficient, for example, a bullet to the brain. The thought of a gruesome death is one good example, but perhaps there are more subtleties than we are aware of.

[edit on 22-6-2004 by John bull 1]

Followon:
It's good to know that there were negotiations, unlike the US policy, and perhaps this will provide at least some comfort to his family, but then we need to consider the fact that despite negotiations, the South Koreans are still deploying their 3000+ men to the area to help with reconstruction, and perhaps this means that the negotiations were just 'for face', e.g. a trivial matter just so that they can say they actually tried their best.

Just to note the reports have said the negotiations were with his employer not the South Korean Government.

Basically same policy as the US. We don't and can't negotiate with terrorist.

Oh, whoops, sorry, skim-reading! Thanks for pointing it out though

Originally posted by browha
Followon:
It's good to know that there were negotiations, unlike the US policy, and perhaps this will provide at least some comfort to his family,

God, what are you smoking?

Since when do negotioations work with these idiots? You ever think the reason the US doesnt bother with negotiations is because we already know its pointless. These morons cannot be reasoned with because they lack the capability to reason. Thier nutcase ideology has stripped them of this faculty.

What I wanna know, is we have all these folks from the west and Asia, Hostages kidnapped, beheaded, ect, and no one has bothered to hunt these assholes down, raid them and get the hostages free and blast these worthless piece of # excuses for human beings into tiny little pieces? In fact, come to think of it, about the only thing that has ever had a really good sucess rate was sending in some sort of special ops to free the hostages. Dimplomacy doesnt work for people who dont give two #s about it.

The fact that this man was a South Korean civilian. Now what justification is there that makes any sort of rational sense for this poor guy getting killed? they justified the slaying of Americans because of Abu Gharib. Fair enough. (Although getting punched and kicked and made to wear underwear on ones head doesnt quite equal chopping off civilians heads, I better learn the whole Islamic Fundimentalist Whack Job Math system). Attack American soldiers cuz they are occupying the place? Ok fair game.

South Korean businessman, who really aint doin much, and whose country is only sending in a small contingent of support troops?

The only thing that will work with useless people who do this is to fight fire with fire. Maybe we should start castrating some of these worthless scumbags on national TV, because in some sects of Islamic extremists, you cant go to Paradise if you aint wholy a "man".

The only thing that would have brought any comfort to this poor guy's family would be his safe return, or a contingent of special ops to at least attempt his rescue.

Until westerners l;earn to use the same heavy hand on thier enemies thier enemies use on them, it aint gonna work.

I really feel sorry for this guy. There was absolutely no sane or even borderline sane justification for doing this to this poor man.

I still hold firmly to the belief saddam Hussein should have been left in power. These nutjobs seemed more than happy when he was beheading people.

The South Korean people aren't in Iraq to assist these extremists- they are there in support of the US efforts. To these extremists, anyone supporting the US is an American/enemy.

Despite our opinions on beheadings and the brutality of war, consider the big picture.

South Korea honored their committment, to the US, to deploy it's people to Iraq and stated they would not back out of sending in more military support to Iraq in the weeks to come. Since the US supports South Korea against North Korea, South Korea would not back down because they don't want to loose the US's support against North Korea.

It wouldn't matter if they beheaded a thousand South Korean's, that's alot less death and destruction than if South Korea were to fight North Korea and their nukes.

South Korea doesn't want it's people beheaded.

However, due to the serious threats they're under with North Korea, they need all the support they can get and cannot afford to back out of Iraq-even if it means sacraficing some of their people.