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The death of the South Korean civilian is making headlines around the world. Major news outlets are closely monitoring the latest developments and making various predictions on how the killing will affect the South Korean government's decision to send troops to Iraq. For now, Seoul has said that it is staying its course in Iraq.
Major international medias have been keeping a close eye on the developments, since news broke that militants in Iraq took hostage a South Korean civilian.
The Arab satellite television station Al Jazeera was the first to report that militants had beheaded Kim Sun-il, after Seoul refused their demand to withdraw Korean troops from Iraq and cancel plans to send more.
"Our forces went to Iraq in order to give humanitarian aid and not to participate in combat or any fighting and thus, there is no reason to stop our mission. Our country has been destroyed during the Korean civil war and we reconstructed it with the help of our friends in the world and we are trying to do the same for Iraq."
The last apparent images of Kim, kneeling, blindfolded and wearing an orange jumpsuit, surrounded by five hooded men before death were shown on Al Jazeera.
Earlier, hopes ran high when the Al Jazeera network reported the kidnappers had allowed more time for talks, citing an Iraqi mediator.
"An Iraqi negotiator has convinced the extremist group to extend the deadline for executing the South Korean hostage"
The news of Kim's beheading sends shockwaves around the world. CNN is carrying breaking news reports saying Iraqi insurgents carried out their threat to behead the Korean captive.
The Associated Press was also quick to report the developments with dispatches coming out of Baghdad, other regions in the Middle East and also in Seoul, analyzing that Kim's death may trigger massive rallies against the dispatch of Korean troops to Iraq.
In Asia, Japan's Kyodo and China's Xinhua news agencies are focusing on the South Korean government's reaction to the incident.
Arirang TV
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