Foreign minister Song Min-Soon said on Saturday  that South Korea had no choice but to negotiate with Afghanistan’s Taliban with the lives of 19 hostages at stake.

Song made the remarks as South Korea came under fire for negotiating with the rebels.

When asked why Seoul had negotiated with the insurgents in breach of international norms, Song Min-Soonsaid other countries would understand the dilemma facing the government when 19 lives were at stake.

“The government struggled to strike a balance between the international norms and custom concerning this kind of issue and the absolute premise that we have to save the people’s lives,” Song told media persons.

“The international community will understand it well,” he said on return from a trip to the Middle East and Russia. The South Korean government has come under some international criticism for negotiating with the rebels, who had earlier killed two of the hostages.

After freeing two others, they released the remaining 19 this week, ostensibly after Seoul said it would withdraw its small military presence in Afghanistan and ban any missionary activities in the country. But those conditions were already planned for, raising suspicions of a backroom deal involving ransom.

‘No ransom’

A Japanese newspaper reported South Korea paid the Taliban militants two million dollars to secure the release. Asked whether Seoul had paid any ransom, Song Min-Soon said tersely: “Nothing like that happened.”