South Korea dispatched a presidential envoy to Afghanistan today in an increasingly desperate bid to win the release of the surviving 22 hostages held by the Taleban.

The hostage found dead last night was Bae Hyung Kyu, the leader of the 23 missionaries seized last Thursday, it emerged today. He had been shot ten times by his captors.

Bae, a Presbyterian pastor, was the founder the organisation that travelled to Afghanistan to provide free medical care. He was killed on his 42nd birthday, leaving a wife and young daughter.

Efforts by the South Korean Government to free the other volunteers were ramped up today, but progress was slow with the authorities finding it difficult to contact the Taleban kidnappers, whose demands have changed repeatedly. It is thought Bae was murdered after a failed attempted by South Korea to pay a ransom for the hostages' release.

Baek Jong Chun, chief presidential secretary for foreign and security policy, was on his way to Afghanistan today as the Government promised that those responsible “will be held accountable for taking the life of a Korean citizen”.

The death of Bae, who was found with ten bullet holes in his head, chest and stomach, has shocked South Korea. At churches and community centres across Seoul, Bae’s family and thousands of evangelists crumpled in grief, fearing that his death will lead to further slayings of the 22 surviving captives.

Worst was the mourning at the Saemmul church that Bae helped to found in 1998. It was there that his wife and nine-year old daughter learnt of their father’s fate.

Known affectionately by the parishioners of the Sammul church as "Mr Smile”, Reverend Bae knew the huge risks of leading young Christian missionaries into the Islamic heart of Afghanistan, but did so with irrepressible good cheer.

A fanatical participant in church volunteer work, he had travelled widely: after returning from Afghanistan he was to have headed to Africa to distribute medicine and administer other aid.

Even as he faced slaughter at the hands of the Taleban, Reverend Bae’s main concern was not for his own life. He wanted desperately to donate his organs to medical research at a hospital in Anyang, but feared they would be rejected if riddled with bullet-holes.

Born on the island of Jeju, Bae’s father Ho Jung, a Christian elder, and his mother Lee Chang Suk were praying at a church there when they heard the news.

Various Christian leaders who had studied with Bae posted comments on their websites attesting to their old friend’s devotion to the church and its works.

Reverend Park Won Hee, who attended Hanyang University with Bae, wrote: “Hyung Kyu always cared for his friends, and never neglected the needy. He is not the one who does such works for praise or recognition, and I don’t know why such tragedy happened to him.”

The South Korean missionaries, most of whom are in their 20s and 30s, were seized while en route from Kandahar to Kabul by bus on July 19. Reverend Bae led similar missions to less developed countries at least twice a year and was planning a trip to Africa once he had returned from Afghanistan.

Negotiations since the group’s capture have been complex with conflicting demands and a reportedly botched attempt by the South Korean Government to pay a ransom.

“Their demands are considerably fluid and not unified. The armed insurgents are divided into different groups and the hostages are being kept in different places,” said Cheon Ho Seon, a South Korean presidential spokesman.

A local police chief in the Ghazni province confirmed that alternate factions within the Taleban clouded negotiations. “One says let’s exchange them for my relative, the others say let’s release the women and yet another wants a deal for money,” Khwaja Mohammad Sidiqi said.

The militants initially demanded the release of 23 Taleban prisoners in exchange for the safe return of the Koreans, and a Taleban spokesman claimed last night that Bae was shot in retaliation for Kabul’s refusal to consider the deal.

However, reports suggest that the shooting came after a botched attempt by the South Korean Government to pay a substantial ransom.

Haji Mohammad Sadiq, the subgovernor of the Qarabagh district, told The Times that during an attempted handover the Taleban became nervous and failed to appear. “They tried to pay them a ransom. They arranged a meeting with the Taleban, but the Taleban got scared and did not show up,” he said.

The news that Afghan and Korean officials tried to pay a ransom was met with dismay by Afghan politicians, who are determined to prevent kidnapping becoming a lucrative option for the Taleban.

Travel outside the major cities is already risky for the thousands of foreign aid workers and United Nations staff in Afghanistan and further kidnappings may weaken support for military involvement among the more than 30 nations with troops in the country.

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