2 released SKorean hostages to arrive home from Afghanistan

SEOUL (AP) - South Korea prepared Friday to welcome home two hostages freed from Taliban captivity in an ongoing standoff where 19 of their compatriots remain held by the insurgent group in Afghanistan.

The two women _ Kim Gina, 32, and Kim Kyung-ja, 37 _ were released amid an ongoing standoff that began last month when their group of church volunteers was seized from a bus in southern Afghanistan. Two men have since been shot to death by their captors, and 14 women and five men are still being held.

The released women were freed earlier this week and had been undergoing medical care in Afghanistan before being heading home.