KABUL, 26 July 2007 — Afghan police discovered the bullet-riddled body of a South Korean hostage yesterday as the Taleban reportedly released eight other captives who were taken to a US military base, officials said.

However, the governor of the province where the South Koreans were believed held said none of the captives was released and talks with militants were continuing.

Because of a recent spike in kidnappings — including an attempt against a Danish citizen yesterday — Kabul police announced foreigners were no longer allowed to leave the Afghan capital without police permission.

The male South Korean victim was found with 10 bullet holes in his head, chest and stomach in the Mushaki area of Qarabagh district in Ghazni province, the region where 23 South Koreans were kidnapped last week, said Abdul Rahman, a police officer.

South Korea confirmed that one hostage was killed but had not yet verified the person’s identity, a South Korean official said on condition of anonymity. A team of officials was heading to the site.

A police official, who asked not to be identified, said militants told him the hostage was sick and couldn’t walk and was therefore shot.

Two Western officials said some of the 23 hostages had been released. One of the officials, who asked not to be identified, said six females and two males had been taken to the main US base in Ghazni.

But, Marajudin Pathan, the governor of Ghazni province, disputed the claim. “No one has been released, and there has not been any exchange,” Pathan told The Associated Press over the phone. “They are still in Taleban custody.”

Pathan said authorities were in contact with kidnappers early today still trying to secure the Koreans’ freedom. The militants gave a list of eight Taleban prisoners who they want released in exchange for eight Koreans.

An Afghan official involved in the negotiations earlier said a large sum of money would be paid to free eight of the hostages. The official spoke on condition he not be identified, citing the matter’s sensitivity.

No other officials would confirm the account. Foreign governments are suspected to have paid for the release of hostages in Afghanistan in the past, but have either kept it quiet or denied it outright. The Taleban originally demanded that 23 jailed militants be freed in exchange for the Koreans.

The South Korean hostages, including 18 women, were kidnapped last Thursday while riding a bus through Ghazni province on the Kabul-Kandahar highway, Afghanistan’s main thoroughfare.

Two Germans were also kidnapped last week. One was found dead and the other apparently remains captive. A Danish reporter of Afghan origin escaped a kidnap attempt in eastern Afghanistan yesterday, the Danish Foreign Ministry said.

The unidentified man “was close to being caught but managed to get away and reach a local police station,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Ole Neustrup said. The Dane was first reported to be German but that report was false.

Police said officials stationed at checkpoints at the city’s main gates would stop foreigners from leaving Kabul unless they informed officials 24 hours in advance of their travel plans.