Eight S. Korean hostages freed, one killed

KABUL, Afghanistan, July 24 (UPI) -- Eight of 23 South Korean hostages held by the Taliban in Afghanistan were released Wednesday while a negotiator said one hostage has been killed.

The reported release followed reports that South Korea paid ransom to the kidnappers, the Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday.

Waheedullah Mujadadi, the top Afghan negotiator working to secure the release of the hostages, said Taliban fighters killed the male hostage and opened fire on the negotiators, The Times of London reported.

"I can confirm that one of the hostages has been killed by the Taliban," Mujadadi said.

Haji Sadiqi, sub-governor of Afghanistan's Qarabagh district, said the hostage was believed to have been killed because he was ill and could not keep up with the kidnappers.

Purported Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi earlier said the group planned to exchange eight prisoners for eight Taliban prisoners before moving on to larger numbers, Yonhap reported.

The released hostages were to be taken back to South Korea after a medical checkup in an Afghan safe zone.

The South Koreans, volunteers from a church group, had been kidnapped Thursday on their way from Kabul to Kandahar, where they planned to offer free medical services.