Korean Hostages

Well, the good news is that the Taliban has released the last group of the Korean hostages that they kidnapped a month ago. While this is undoubtedly good news (no pun intended) for the Christian missionaries, I am afraid that it bodes poorly for the War on Terror and the world in general.
The Taliban has now successfully negotiated terms with a nation. Never mind that they were terms that the Korean government had already intended to fulfill; the success of the negotiation has set international precident and legitimized the bargaining position of the Taliban for any similar future endeavors.
I ask again: Where were the ROK Marines?