"We lived like slaves. We had to level the ground for motorbikes, and get water [from a well] and make a fire," Je said, showing the worn-out, dirty short-sleeve shirt and trousers he wore throughout the captivity.
A few of the hostages, however, said they were treated relatively well.
"Some Taliban were friendly, as they asked what our names were and gave us Afghan names. They played with mobile phones and later allowed me to make a telephone call to South Korea so I talked with my husband," said Suh Myung-hwa, 29, whose younger brother, Kyung-seok, 27, was also among the hostages. She was also able to exchange notes with her brother.
Despite their ordeal, the hostages showed no sign of wanting to give up missionary work, though they said they would follow whatever decisions were made following their captivity.
To free the remaining hostages, South Korea had promised to ban Korean missionaries from Afghanistan and pledged to pull out its 210 troops by the end of the year - a move it was already planning to make prior to the hostage crisis.
Furthermore, the hostage crisis has forced Korea's churches to reflect on their mission works, some of which have been criticised for being "excessively passionate". South Korea, despite its small size, is the world's second highest missionary sending country behind the United States.
The East Asian nation, which experienced a dramatic rise in Christianity within just a few decades last century, sends one missionary for every 4.2 congregations - placing it 11th in the world, according to Christianity Today. And of the estimated 17,000 South Korean Christian missionaries that have been sent abroad, many are in volatile regions.
South Korean missionaries are particularly prevalent in 10/40 Window nations that are hostile to Westerners.
"We understand the Christian community is debating that," former hostage Lyu Kyung-sik said when asked if they would return to trouble spots to do missionary work. "We'll follow the decision."
According to Dr Park Sang-eun, who has been treating the freed hostages, the group had recovered from physical injuries and was fit enough to go home to their families. He added, however, that the former captives needed more treatment to deal with possible depression and other mental problems.
They were released from a hospital Wednesday and moved to a rehabilitation centre.
