Koreans critical of being banned from Afghanistan

SEOUL, South Korea — Weeks after the Taliban released Korean aid workers in Afghanistan, some South Korean Christians are critical of their government’s ban on missionary travel to the country. They claim that the ban limits religious freedom and encourages extremist attacks on Christians around the globe. A Taliban spokesman said his group would continue kidnapping foreigners because it had found it to be an effective tactic, according to Agence France-Presse.

Choi Han-Woo, president of the Institute of Asian Culture and Development, said carrying out religious activities is a basic human right that must be protected. “In Iraq, in Somalia or in any other country where there is a dangerous situation, will Christians not be able to go there if it is a Muslim country?” he asked. Christian sources said the ban has curtailed almost all development work by Koreans in Afghanistan.