Taliban: "We will not sell weapons to North Korea... We ask South Korea to participate in Afghanistan's development"

"Guarantee Safety, So Please Open the Korean Embassy"

Taliban Political Office Spokesperson Suhail Shahin. / Photo by SBS

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] The Islamic militant group Taliban, which has taken control of Afghanistan, highly praised South Korea's industrial development experience and stated, "There will be no selling of U.S. military assets left in Afghanistan to North Korea."

Suhail Shahin, Taliban spokesperson, said in an interview with 'SBS 8 o'clock News' on the 6th, responding to Republican claims that there is a concern about selling weapons left by U.S. forces to North Korea, "That will not happen. We have never had relations with North Korea."

Shahin added, "South Korea also experienced the destruction of its nation and rebuilt it, gaining a lot of experience. If South Korea offers help, we would welcome and appreciate it," and expressed, "We want South Korean companies to participate in Afghanistan's development."

He continued, "We will guarantee safety, so please reopen the South Korean embassy," and added, "We will guarantee departure for Afghans wishing to go to South Korea if they have proper documentation."

Meanwhile, regarding the late Sergeant Yoon Jang-ho, who died in the 2007 Taliban bomb attack, and the Sammul Church missionary group who were kidnapped and killed, he vaguely referred to them as "matters of the past." Shahin explained, "At that time, Afghanistan was occupied, and South Korea was part of the occupying forces. It is better to think of those events as things of the past."

On the same day, Shahin also revealed that Afghanistan is suffering severe difficulties due to poverty and frozen funds. He appealed, "The central bank, the Bank of Afghanistan, is frozen," and "As poverty deepens, 70% of the entire population is living in poverty."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.