S Korea Urged to Rethink Mission Strategies

Following the kidnapping of 23 South Korean hostages in Afghanistan, the country's foreign ministry has banned its nationals from travelling to Afghanistan and urged those already there - an estimated 200 civilians - to get out.

The Saemmul Presbyterian Church, which sent the abducted missionaries, evacuated another 42 workers in Afghanistan doing volunteer work in Kabul and Kandahar at the time of the kidnapping.

Meanwhile, questions have been raised over what the team was doing in such a dangerous place.

The Saemmul Church insists the hostages were on an aid not evangelising mission, providing medical services to people suffering from disease.

"We have to be careful in sending our people to dangerous countries," said Pang In-sung, director of Newsnjoy, a progressive Christian newspaper supported by the Saemmul Church.

"But as Christians we also have a duty to go and help others who are in need. Not to evangelise, but to help."

However Pang In-sung admitted there were lessons to be learned from what has happened in Afghanistan. "We have to correct past mistakes and start being very careful about our work abroad," he told the BBC News website.

The Saemmul Church has faced accusations that it embarked on a dangerous mission without adequate thought to the possible consequences.

Many Korean citizens also question the necessity for missionaries to travel to dangerous countries.

"I am so sorry for the captives, however I think it is quite unreasonable that they went there in the first place against the Korean government's travel advisory," said BBC website user Hee Nam Lim, from Ulsan.

"I realise they had good intentions but they have become a great burden for our government and our people," he said.

Critics have also said that missionaries can sometimes be too aggressive in their desire to spread the gospel, and show lack of understanding of local cultures.