Meanwhile, 55-year-old Yoo Kyung-sik apologized for causing worldwide concern.
"I can't sleep due to concerns that we caused so much trouble," Yoo said in the interview. "I feel very sorry."
The 19 Christian volunteers were freed over the course of two days after face-to-face negotiations between South Korea and Taliban representatives. The two parties struck a deal Tuesday which called for the withdrawal of 210 Korean troops - mostly medics and engineers - from Afghanistan by the end of the year and for the Korean government to ban all missionary groups from entering the country.
South Korea planned to pull out its troops by year's end even before the hostage crisis, leaving many questioning if a secret ransom deal took place - a claim both South Korea and the Taliban have denied.
However, a well-respected Japanese newspaper, Asahi Shimbun, reported Friday that $2 million was paid to the Taliban to secure the release of the hostages.
Aside from the alleged ransom deal, the Korean government is also under fire for its handling of the hostage crisis. The international community - including Afghanistan, Germany, and Canada - has publicly criticized South Korea for giving legitimacy to the Taliban by negotiating with them and appearing to give into their demands.
The United States, meanwhile, has held back from directly criticizing Korea, saying instead it is glad to hear news of the release of the hostages and repeating its policy of no concession to terrorists.
The original group of 23 Koreans was abducted July 19 in insurgency-prone Ghazni province while on their way to provide free medical care to poor Afghans. Two female aid workers - 37-year-old Kim Kyung-ja and 32-year-old Kim Ji-na - were released earlier in August after the first face-to-face talks between South Korea and the Taliban.
The spokesman for relatives of the Korean Christians, Cha Sung-min, said the 19 will be taken to the hospital and away from the public and media while they recover, according to AFP.
