By Yousuf Azimy

GHAZNI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A South Korean delegation arrived on Thursday in the Afghan province where 21 Koreans are held hostage in an attempt to hold direct talks with Taliban kidnappers and peacefully end the two-week ordeal.

The Taliban have killed two Korean hostages, accusing the Afghan government of not negotiating in good faith and ignoring their demand to release rebel prisoners. They have repeatedly threatened to kill the rest if their demands are not met.

The Taliban have insisted on direct talks with the Koreans, but Seoul has no power to free prisoners from Afghan jails.

“The team, including the Korean ambassador, which has come for the release of Korean nationals, say they have come to speak to the Taliban about choosing a venue for talks,” Ghazni provincial governor Mirajuddin Pathan told reporters.

“They say they have come to hold direct talks with the Taliban,” he said.

The Taliban kidnapped 23 South Korean church volunteers, 18 of them women, in Ghazni province on the main road south from Kabul on July 20. Two male Koreans have since been killed.

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