The South Korean Presidential Office denied Friday news reports alleging that the government had paid a hefty ransom to Taliban in return for the recent release of South Korean hostages, Yonhap News Agency in Seoul said. "We didn't pay any ransom. There is no secret agreement with the Taliban other than the already announced conditions for the hostage release," Cheon Ho-seon, Preident Roh Moo-hyun's spokesman, told a media briefing. News media have raised speculation about a possible ransom trade between the South Korean government and Taliban, with some putting the figure at as much as GBP 20 million (USD 40.4 million).
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