Yonhap News in Korea is reporting that the South Korea government has made a substantial economic offer to Afghanistan in exchange for the lives of 22 Presbyterians kidnapped by Taliban last week.

It is also reporting the Afghan government has said no to the demands that an equal number of Taliban prisoners be released in exchange for the hostages.

Roh’s envoy Baek Jong-chun, chief presidential advisor for foreign and security affairs, asked Karzai to be flexible on the prisoner issue while promising large amounts of economic assistance for the war-ravaged country, informed sources said.

   A member of the Afghan government’s negotiating team told AFP that no major change has been made in the team’s policy despite the Baek-Karzai meeting.

   “South Korea’s position has been limited between the Afghan government and the Taliban, and that situation has never changed since the meeting,” an informed Afghan source told Yonhap News Agency. “It may be difficult for the South Korean government to make an epochal achievement under these circumstances.”

While the Pope has weighed in and President Karzai has appealed to Afghanistan ‘civility’ and the Koran, getting the Muslim cleric council to publicly state killing the hostages was against Islam, another deadline has passed.

According to Reuters, Taliban spokesmen have responded saying they will not back down.

The Taliban said they would not back down from their leader’s 0730 GMT final deadline on Monday and would kill their 22 South Korean hostages unless the Afghan government freed jailed rebels by then.

Monday’s deadline was issued by the Taliban leadership council, led by elusive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, giving the threat to kill the hostages more weight than several other deadlines that have passed without incident.

Taliban sources said the government had made no contact since the final deadline was issued by the movement’s leadership council on Sunday and reiterated there would no backing-down.

“We will not back down from the deadline and the government has not established contact with us,” Taliban spokesman Qari Mohammad Yousuf said by telephone from an unknown location.

The body of 42 year old Bae Hyung-kyu, a pastor of Saemmul Church arrived in Korea today.  He was killed July 25th after a demand deadline wasn’t met. His family had asked his remains not be shipped home until the hostages were released.

The Afghan government is asking Taliban leaders for a 2 day extension on negotiations.

Update: Deadlines are being extended by hours now, not days.

A purported spokesman for the Taliban announced Monday that the Islamic militant group had extended its deadline to free 22 South Korean Christian hostages to 1130 GMT (7:30 a.m. EDT), 4 more hours to the deadline they had set Sunday. Christian Post

Update 2: The body of Sung Sin (Shim Sung-min, 29) was reportedly left on a road five miles from the Ghazni provincal capital. He was shot a few hours ago.

previous posts  here
Al Jazeera English - deadline passes
Afghan Islamic Press - english
The Marmot’s Hole - English language Korean blog