The Arab satellite TV network Al-Jazeera aired a videotape Sunday purportedly from al-Qaida linked militants showing a South Korean hostage begging for his life and pleading with his government to withdraw troops from Iraq.

The kidnappers, who identified themselves as belonging to a group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, gave South Korea 24 hours to meet its demand.

The man screamed in English "Please, get out of here," flailing his arms. He also shouted "I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I know that your life is important, but my life is important."

The Foreign Ministry identified the hostage as Kim Sun-il, an employee of a South Korean company called Gana General Trading Co., a military supplies provider for the U.S. Army. The ministry said that the 33-year-old man was captured in the Fallujah area on Thursday.