Kim Sun-il sits in front of his captors in this video image obtained by Al-Jazeera TV June 20, 2004. Monotheism and Jihad said that Korea had 24 hours to meet its demands of the withdrawal of Korean troops from Iraq, or they would kill him.

A South Korean translator working for a company that supplies equipment to US occupation forces in Iraq has been executed after a deadline set by his captors passed.

In a videotape received by Aljazeera, the resistance group Jamat al-Tawhid and Jihad said it was fulfilling a pledge it made yesterday that the 33-old-year South Korean translator Kim Sun-Il would be beheaded if their demands were not met by South Korean government.

South Korean captive This undated photo of late Kim Sun-il was taken when he graduated from college. Kim in Baghdad was kidnapped by Islamic militants and slain later after deadline passed. Kim who was working as a translator for a local Korean company in the Iraqi capital to earn the tuitions for his graduate school. Kim was supposed to return to Korea for his father's 70th birthday coming soon.

The captors threatened on Sunday to kill Kim, who was captured last Thursday near Falluja, in 24 hours if South Korea did not cancel its plan to deploy troops to Iraq.

South Korea rejected the demand and said on Monday it would send forces to Iraq despite an earlier video showing Kim begging for his life.

Body found
South Korea confirmed that the body of a South Korean businessman held in Iraq had been killed and his body found.

Wailing parents Parents of Kim Sun-il are wailing at the news of his death. Kim was slain by Islamic militants after the deadline passed. Kim's family were optimistic about the release of Kim after Seoul government provided them with false imformation. Courtesy Donga

Foreign Ministry spokesman Shin Bong-kil told reporters the US military had found 33-year-old Kim Sun-il's body and had informed South Korean officials.

Kim is an employee of South Korean Gana Trading Company that supplies equipment to the US military and has been in Iraq since June 2003.

On Tuesday, protests were staged across South Korea pressing the Seoul to scrap its plan to deploy more troops and condemning the government's "irresponsible response."

Citizens protesting Hundreds of South Korean citizens braced heavy rain in Gwanghwamun downtown Seoul at night on June 22, 2004 to protest government's plan to send additional 3,000 troops to Iraq. Demonstrators also wished the safe return of Kim Sun-il kidnapped by Islamic militants. Later Kim was killed by the militants. Courtesy Ohmynews

In an online poll Tuesday 70.5 percent of 28,281 respondents demanded Seoul cancel the troop deployment to Iraq, with only 24.2 percent supporting it.