Afghanistan–South Korea relations

Bilateral relations between South Korea and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan began in 1973 and have effectively been non-existent since the Taliban gained control of Kabul and much of the rest of Afghanistan in August 2021.[1]

Afghanistan – South Korea relations
Map indicating locations of Afghanistan and South Korea

Afghanistan

South Korea
Diplomatic mission
Afghan Embassy, SeoulSouth Korean Embassy, Kabul (closed)

On September 17, 1978, Afghanistan's pro-Soviet Khalq government announced that it would break off relations and instead recognize only the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). A North Korean delegation visited Afghanistan in October 1978.[2]

South Korea was engaged in helping Afghanistan recover from years of civil war in the 2000s and 2010s. South Korea has an embassy in Kabul. Afghanistan established its embassy in Seoul in 2004.

In 2007, the Taliban taking hostage 23 South Korean missionaries in Afghanistan received much attention.[3] The Taliban extremists killed two of the abducted missionaries on 25 and 30 July[4] and promised to release the rest of the team only when Seoul promised to stick to the planned withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of 2007.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "Embassy of the Republic of Korea". Archived from the original on 2010-05-14. Retrieved 2010-01-31.
  2. ^ "Appointment of Cabinet under New Prime Minister - Establishment of Supreme Defence Council - Other Internal Developments - Activities of Moslem Rebels - Assassination of US Ambassador - Relations with Socialist States in Asia" (PDF). web.stanford.edu. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-07-21. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  3. ^ "War on Terror: Reflecting on the 2007 South Korea-Taliban Hostage Crisis". Asia Society.
  4. ^ Shah, Amir (April 29, 2007). "Taliban to free 19 S. Korean hostages". The Associated Press. Archived from the original on September 9, 2007. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
  5. ^ "South Korea's Secret War". thediplomat.com.
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