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Associated Press reported Thursday that in early June, it acquired a videotape of Kim following his capture, and in the first week of this month, it inquired with the Foreign Ministry in Seoul about Kim's identity and kidnapping status.
The Foreign Ministry answered that it had no news of a Korean being kidnapped, and because it was unsure whether Kim was actually kidnapped, the videotape was not broadcasted, said AP.
The government has said that it first learned of Kim's adduction on June 20, when Arab cable news network Al-Jazeera first broadcasted video footage sent by Kim's abductors.
With this, questions are once again being asked about when exactly the government first learned of Kim's kidnapping, and if it is shown that despite getting tipped off to the abduction, the government failed to thoroughly follow up on those tips and allowed the situation to deteriorate, it appears it would be unable to avoid taking responsibility for the matter.
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Demonstrating how an American soldier pointed a gun at him when he went to a U.S. military camp in Fallujah, Kim says, ¡°I supply the U.S. army with products, but I hate the U.S. military and Bush.¡±
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About this, a Foreign Ministry official denied the AP report, saying it was the first time he's heard such information.
AP said someone delivered the tape to its Baghdad office, and that in the video, there were neither men with guns nor signs that Kim had actually been kidnapped.
At 8 a.m. Thursday (Korea time), AP's television network APTN broadcasted the video shot right after his kidnapping in late May; it was about 2 to 3 minutes long, and featured Kim answering questions from the criminals.
In the video, Kim was sitting on the ground wearing a black T-shirt, calmly answering questions in English from a questioner who does not appear on screen. The atmosphere of the video is quite different from the one released by Al-Jazeera on June 20, in which Kim was frantically pleading for his life.
Asked his name and birthday, Kim clearly answered, "Kim Sun-il... September 13, 1970." About his profession, he said he taught math in Korea. He said he came to Iraq six months ago to learn Arabic.
Kim said he liked Iraqis and that they were very kind. He said he saw poor people in the streets of Baghdad, and he gave them money.
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Demonstrating how his body was searched by American soldiers pushed against the wall, Kim says, ¡°I like Iraqi people. They are kind. I once gave money to poor Iraqis begging.
/ APTN
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Kim called U.S. President George Bush a terrorist. He said he saw the Iraq War on TV in Korea, that Bush and the U.S. attacked Iraq because of oil, and that he doesn't like the United States.
Kim had a bit of a beard, but he looked healthy, so it is presumed that the film was shot right after his kidnapping on May 31.
In the meantime, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Shin Bong-gil said Thursday that the ministry is currently trying to confirm whether the AP report is correct.
Shin said, "We plan to inquire with AP as to the facts in its reports, like whether it asked the Foreign Ministry headquarters or the Korean Embassy in Iraq [about Kim's kidnapping in early June]."
AP reported that in early June, APTN received a videotape of Kim and inquired with the Foreign Ministry as to Kim's identity and whether he'd been kidnapped. The Foreign Ministry responded that they hadn't received any reports of a Korean being kidnapped, AP reported.
Kim was abducted on May 31, right before APTN received the videotape.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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