At a meeting of the Uri Party on Wednesday, Rep. Park Chan-suk said, "The root cause of the hostage crisis lies in our dispatch of troops to Afghanistan. While the Koreans are suffering, the U.S. stands firm on the principles. It’s irresponsible and it's a betrayal of one of its allies." Uri Chairman Chung Se-kyun said, "The U.S. should not remain a mere bystander."

Protesters shout a slogan during a rally demanding the safe return of South Koreans kidnapped in Afghanistan and the withdrawal of South Korean troops from that country near the U.S. embassy in Seoul on Wednesday. Relatives of 21 South Koreans being held in Afghanistan made an emotional appeal to U.S. Embassy officials Wednesday for help in negotiating their release after two weeks as Taliban hostages./AP

Presidential contenders in the ruling camp also seemed to hold the U.S. responsible. Ex-Uri chairman Chung Dong-young said he wanted to ask the U.S. government “what decision and choice it would have made if the hostages had been Americans, not Koreans." His rival Chun Jung-bae said, "The U.S. should come forward as a concerned party given that the war on terror began in the U.S." Rep. Kim Hyuk-kyu warned, "It’s hard to predict what changes the Korean people will experience in their sentiment if the U.S. sticks only to principles and contributes to further damage."

Civic groups have also applied pressure on the U.S. by threatening a candlelight rally. Since Tuesday, a group calling itself Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea has held a one-man relay vigil near the U.S. Embassy, calling the Bush administration the “main party” responsible for the abduction of 23 Koreans by the Taliban. On Wednesday, the group in a press conference threatened a “massive” candlelight rally unless the U.S. starts negotiations with the Taliban immediately.

The government is wary of such pronouncements. "Afghanistan is a sovereign nation,” one official said. “If we keep saying, 'The U.S. should apply pressure' or 'It's the U.S.’ responsibility,' this will embarrass Afghanistan. If Taliban prisoners are released, they will immediately point their guns at American soldiers. I don’t think we could ask the U.S.” to release prisoners. “Even if we were to ask the U.S. to do it, we should do it quietly. Doing it noisily will only complicate the situation,” he added. In a briefing on Wednesday, presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon said, "If you believe that the U.S. holds all the keys, that’s far from the truth, nor is it helpful in solving problems."

(englishnews@chosun.com )