North Korean abductions of South Koreans
Encyclopedia
An estimated 84,532 South Korea
ns were taken to North Korea
during the Korean War
. In addition, South Korean statistics claim that, since the Korean Armistice in 1953, about 3,800 people have been abducted in North Korea (the vast majority in the late 1970s), 480 of whom are still being held by North Korea.
One is wartime abductees, or Korean War abductees, who were kidnapped to North Korea against their wishes during the 1950-53 Korean War
and died there or are still being detained in North Korea. Most of them were educated, such as politicians, government officials, scholars, educators, doctors, judicial officials, journalists, businessmen, etc. According to testimonies by remaining family members, most of abductions were carried out by North Korean soldiers who showed up at the homes of individuals with specific names and identification in hand. This is an indication that the abductions were carried out intentionally and in an organized manner.
The other is postwar abductees who were kidnapped by North Korean agents in the South Korean territory or foreign countries after the armistice was signed in 1953. Most of them were captured while fishing near the DMZ, but some were abducted by North Korean agents in South Korea. North Korea continued to abduct South Koreans into the 2000s, as is shown by the cases of Rev. Kim Dongsik , who was abducted on January 16, 2000, and Jin Gyeongsuk , a defector
to the South who was abducted on September 17, 2002, when she had returned to the PRC-DPRK border area on her ROK passport.
In the case of post war abductees, Yoichi Shimada, a Fukui University professor in Japan, North Korea appeared to abduct foreign citizens in order to:
These 6 patterns are not mutually exclusive. Especially numbers 2, 3, and 4 derive from Kim Jong-il
's secret order of 1976 to use foreign nationals more systematically and thereby improve the quality of North Korean spy activities, contributing to his "localization of spy education"
Further, better-educated people could be employed by the institutions responsible for waging propaganda campaigns against the South in, say, their broadcast facilities.
In the case of Japanese abduction, on September 17, 2002, the North Korean government officially admitted the kidnapping of 13 Japanese citizens, at the meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and Japanese Prime minister Koizumi.
But as for the South Korean abduction issue, North Korea consistently has claimed that there was no South Korean abductee in North Korea. After the Armistice in 1953, Pyongyang has refused to allow the release of a single South Korean wartime abductee despite a provision allowing civilian abductees to return home in Article III of the Korean War Armistice Agreement a document signed by representatives from the United States, North Korea, and China. Instead, they only returned 19 foreigners to the South.
In regard to post war abductees, Pyongyang insists that the South Koreans defected to North Korea, and remain of their own free will, but refuses to allow South Korean relatives to communicate with them. Despite the testimonies of former abductees who have escaped from the North recently, North Korea has held fast to the existing position: "There are no South Korean abductees and we cannot confirm their existence."
and abductee issue is not only part of the Korean Government's basic responsibility for protecting its citizens, but also one of the highest priorities. But despite the South Korean government's official urging for the North Korean government to deal with the abduction issue, there has no substantial results so far. Since the inter-Korean Summit held in 2000, the South and the North dealt with the abduction issue at the various level talks; the second South-North Summit, inter-Korean Prime Minister talk, and rounds of ministerial-level or inter-Korean Red Cross talks.
As a result of these efforts, a total of 38 families of abductees and POWs were able to meet their family members in North Korea, and the fates of 88 people were confirmed.
Below chart shows status of abducted persons by Year
After strong protests from South Korean government, North Korea has repatriated 3,262 people. An additional 6 people have recently returned home to South Korea on their own. But a total of 427 fishermen are still held in North Korea.
In some cases the captured crews were eventually repatriated, but often Pyongyang alleged that at least a few crew members had "chosen to stay in the socialist paradise and not to go to the living hell of the capitalist South".
en route from Kangnung to Seoul
with 51 persons aboard; in February 1970, 39 of the crew and passengers were released. The remaining 11 were still detained in North Korea. Eventually, two stewardesses became announcers of the North Korean propaganda broadcasts that target South Korean audiences.
and her film-director husband Shin Sang-ok were kidnapped in Hong Kong and taken to Pyongyang. They were abducted on the orders of Kim Jong-il
, son of the "Great Leader" Kim Il-sung
, who wanted to use them to improve the North Korean film industry. Shin attempted to escape, and spent five years in a re-education camp, before being reunited with his wife. While living in North Korea, Shin made the monster movie Pulgasari
. In April 1984, South Korean government officials stated that the kidnappees were working in North Korea producing propaganda films that glorified Kim Il Sung and his son, Kim Jong Il. The couple escaped to South Korea in 1986 while on a filming assignment in Vienna.
In the 1990s most abductions of this sort took place in China, and their victims were political activists, missionaries, and real or suspected South Korean spies. All these abductions occurred in the Chinese North-East, near the borders of North Korea.
North Korean abductions have not been limited to northeast Asia and many documented abductees have been kidnapped while abroad, making the issue of serious concern to the international community.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
ns were taken to North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
. In addition, South Korean statistics claim that, since the Korean Armistice in 1953, about 3,800 people have been abducted in North Korea (the vast majority in the late 1970s), 480 of whom are still being held by North Korea.
Two types of Abductees
South Korean abductees by North Korea are categorized into two groups.One is wartime abductees, or Korean War abductees, who were kidnapped to North Korea against their wishes during the 1950-53 Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
and died there or are still being detained in North Korea. Most of them were educated, such as politicians, government officials, scholars, educators, doctors, judicial officials, journalists, businessmen, etc. According to testimonies by remaining family members, most of abductions were carried out by North Korean soldiers who showed up at the homes of individuals with specific names and identification in hand. This is an indication that the abductions were carried out intentionally and in an organized manner.
The other is postwar abductees who were kidnapped by North Korean agents in the South Korean territory or foreign countries after the armistice was signed in 1953. Most of them were captured while fishing near the DMZ, but some were abducted by North Korean agents in South Korea. North Korea continued to abduct South Koreans into the 2000s, as is shown by the cases of Rev. Kim Dongsik , who was abducted on January 16, 2000, and Jin Gyeongsuk , a defector
North Korean defectors
A number of individuals have defected from North Korea. Since the division of Korea after World War II and the end of the Korean War , many people have defected from North Korea, mainly for political, ideological, religious and economic reasons...
to the South who was abducted on September 17, 2002, when she had returned to the PRC-DPRK border area on her ROK passport.
Background
During the war time, North Korea kidnapped South Koreans in order to increase its human capacity for rehabilitation after the war. It recruited intelligentsia that was exhausted within North Korea and kidnapped not only those needed for postwar rehabilitation, but also technical specialists and laborers. There was also intention to drain the intelligentsia of South Korean society, exacerbate societal confusion, and promote communization of South Korea by making postwar rehabilitation difficult due to the shortage of technical specialists and youth. They also had the intention to guise the abductions as voluntary entry for the advancement of their political system.- In his "Complete Works, Volume Ⅳ", dated July 31, 1946, Kim Il Sung wrote: "In regards to bringing Southern Chosun's intelligentsia, not only do we need to search out all Northern Chosun's intelligentsia in order to solve the issue of a shortage of intelligentsia, but we also have to bring Southern Chosun's intelligentsia."
In the case of post war abductees, Yoichi Shimada, a Fukui University professor in Japan, North Korea appeared to abduct foreign citizens in order to:
- eliminate witnesses who happened to run into North Korean agents in action
- steal victim's identities and infiltrate agent back into the countries concerned
- force abductees to teach their local language and customs to North Korea agents
- brainwash them into secret agents; the fishermen hardly had access to valuable intelligence, but they still could be trained as spies and sent back to the South
- utilize abductees' expertise or special skills
- use abductees as spouses for unusual residents in North Korea, especially to lone foreigners such as defectors or other abductees
These 6 patterns are not mutually exclusive. Especially numbers 2, 3, and 4 derive from Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
's secret order of 1976 to use foreign nationals more systematically and thereby improve the quality of North Korean spy activities, contributing to his "localization of spy education"
Further, better-educated people could be employed by the institutions responsible for waging propaganda campaigns against the South in, say, their broadcast facilities.
North Korea's position about the abduction issue
North Korea has shown different positions on the abduction issue.In the case of Japanese abduction, on September 17, 2002, the North Korean government officially admitted the kidnapping of 13 Japanese citizens, at the meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and Japanese Prime minister Koizumi.
But as for the South Korean abduction issue, North Korea consistently has claimed that there was no South Korean abductee in North Korea. After the Armistice in 1953, Pyongyang has refused to allow the release of a single South Korean wartime abductee despite a provision allowing civilian abductees to return home in Article III of the Korean War Armistice Agreement a document signed by representatives from the United States, North Korea, and China. Instead, they only returned 19 foreigners to the South.
In regard to post war abductees, Pyongyang insists that the South Koreans defected to North Korea, and remain of their own free will, but refuses to allow South Korean relatives to communicate with them. Despite the testimonies of former abductees who have escaped from the North recently, North Korea has held fast to the existing position: "There are no South Korean abductees and we cannot confirm their existence."
Various inter-Korean talks held
The Seoul government has clarified that resolving the Korean War POWKorean War POWs detained in North Korea
"Korean War POWs Detained in North Korea" refer to the tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers who were captured by the North Korean and Chinese forces during the Korean War but were not returned during the prisoner exchanges under the 1953 Armistice Agreement...
and abductee issue is not only part of the Korean Government's basic responsibility for protecting its citizens, but also one of the highest priorities. But despite the South Korean government's official urging for the North Korean government to deal with the abduction issue, there has no substantial results so far. Since the inter-Korean Summit held in 2000, the South and the North dealt with the abduction issue at the various level talks; the second South-North Summit, inter-Korean Prime Minister talk, and rounds of ministerial-level or inter-Korean Red Cross talks.
- On June 15, 2000, at the first South-North Summit, South Korean President Kim Dae JungKim Dae JungKim Dae-jung was President of South Korea from 1998 to 2003, and the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize recipient. He came to be called the "Nelson Mandela of Asia" for his long-standing opposition to authoritarian rule.-Early life:...
and his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-ilKim Jong-ilKim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
, agreed to settle humanitarian issues as early as possible, including the exchange of visiting groups of separated families and relatives. But from the words and phrases of their agreement, or June 15th North-South Joint DeclarationJune 15th North-South Joint DeclarationThe June 15th North–South Joint Declaration was adopted between leaders of North and South Korea in June 2000 after various diplomatic meetings between the North and South...
, there were no reference about the abductee issue.- In the same year, South Korea repatriated 63 convicted Communist spies and thereafter provided billions of dollars' worth of aid and trade to the North. But it has been reluctant to challenge Pyongyang's denials that it had abducted any South Koreans - even though Kim Jong-il admitted in 2002 that North Korea had kidnapped thirteen Japanese citizens, and released five.
- On June 24, 2005, at the fifteenth round of Inter-Korean Ministerial Talks held in Seoul, the South and the North agreed to hold the sixth round of inter-Korean Red Cross talks to consult about humanitarian issues including confirmation of the fates and whereabouts of the missing people during Korean War.
- But, during the sixth round of inter-Korean Red Cross talks held in August 2005, the South and the North discussed the issue of confirming the fates and whereabouts of missing people during the Korean War, but produced no concrete results.
- During the eighth round of inter-Korean Red Cross talks held in April 2007, both Koreas agreed on: “within the framework of family reunion meetings”, cooperating and addressing the issue regarding those who have been missing "during or after" the Korean War. It seemed to be a more realistic approach, but also showed that North Korea was still refusing to admit any cases of abduction of South Koreans.
- At the second South-North Summit, on October 4, 2007, Roh Moo-hyun raised the POWKorean War POWs detained in North Korea"Korean War POWs Detained in North Korea" refer to the tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers who were captured by the North Korean and Chinese forces during the Korean War but were not returned during the prisoner exchanges under the 1953 Armistice Agreement...
and abduction issue to Kim Jong-il, but he failed to achieve a settlement because Kim did not respond.
- First inter-Korean PM talks in November 2007 and ninth round of inter-Korean Red Cross talks (in November 2007) reconfirmed the agreement of 8th round of Red Cross talks.
Substitution way: including the category of separated families
Because North Korea has been denying the existence of abductees and POWs on its territory, since November 2000, the South Korean government has been trying to resolve the issue through a more realistic approach of including the abductees and POWs in the category of separated families. By doing so, families of POWs or abductees also could participate in the normal reunion events that were organized for families separated by the war.As a result of these efforts, a total of 38 families of abductees and POWs were able to meet their family members in North Korea, and the fates of 88 people were confirmed.
The law concerning abductees
Separately from talks with North Korea, the Seoul government enacted on April 2, 2007, the "Law for the Victims of Abduction to the North in the Postwar Years (or, the law concerning the assistance and compensation for the abducted persons since the Korean War Armistice Agreement)". Based on this law, the abducted persons, upon return to South Korea, will be entitled to receive assistance and the returning person himself or herself and their family members will be entitled to compensation for the human rights infringements sustained during the period. By this law, on October 16, 2007, the South Korean government formed the "Committee for the Compensation of the Victims of Abduction to the North."Wartime abduction
Owing to the special situation of wartime, the exact number of Korean War abductees is difficult to determine. There are considerable differences in the numbers cited in various published documents and statistics. Overall range of the numbers is from 2,438 to 84,532. When the Korean National Red Cross set a special re-registration period to compile a list of missing people or the so-called "displaced people" in 1956, a total of 7,031 people registered. On February 26, 1957, the South delivered the list of 7,034 people to the North through the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC). But according to the survey of "Korean War Abductees’ Family Union" in March 2002, its number amounts to 94,700.Post war abduction
After the Korean War or during the Cold War period, a total of 3,795 people have been abducted and taken to North Korea. Subsequently, through Seoul government's protests and various efforts via the Korean National Red Cross, 3,309 people have returned to South Korea. And six persons have recently escaped from the North and returned to the South Korea on their own. A total of 480 South Korean abductees remain in North Korea against their will (as of December 2007).Below chart shows status of abducted persons by Year
| Year | Number Detained | Total | Year | Number Detained | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 10 | 10 | 1973 | 8 | 392 |
| 1957 | 2 | 12 | 1974 | 30 | 422 |
| 1958 | 23 | 35 | 1975 | 31 | 453 |
| 1964 | 16 | 51 | 1977 | 3 | 456 |
| 1965 | 19 | 70 | 1978 | 4 | 460 |
| 1966 | 4 | 74 | 1980 | 1 | 461 |
| 1967 | 42 | 116 | 1985 | 3 | 464 |
| 1968 | 127 | 243 | 1987 | 13 | 477 |
| 1969 | 19 | 262 | 1995 | 1 | 478 |
| 1970 | 36 | 298 | 1999 | 1 | 479 |
| 1971 | 20 | 318 | 2000 | 1 | 480 |
| 1972 | 66 | 384 |
Status of abducted and detained persons
| Division | Total | Fishermen | Korean Air | 1-2 boat | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abduction | 3,796 | 3,696 | 50 | 24 | 26 |
| Detention | 480 | 427 | 11 | 24 | 18 |
Fishermen
On May 28, 1955, a South Korean fishing boat, the “Daesung-ho” was hijacked by North Korean authorities with 10 fishermen aboard. Since then, North Korean agents have hijacked numerous South Korean ships and kidnapped the seamen and fishermen aboard the vessels. In total, 3,696 fishermen and 120-plus fishing boats were seized by North Korea.After strong protests from South Korean government, North Korea has repatriated 3,262 people. An additional 6 people have recently returned home to South Korea on their own. But a total of 427 fishermen are still held in North Korea.
In some cases the captured crews were eventually repatriated, but often Pyongyang alleged that at least a few crew members had "chosen to stay in the socialist paradise and not to go to the living hell of the capitalist South".
High school students
Five South Korean high school students disappeared in 1977 and 1978. They had been regarded as missing persons. But in the late 1990s, through the testimonies of North Korean spies in South Korea, it was discovered that they were working in North Korea as instructors, teaching the basics of South Korean lifestyle to would-be undercover Northern operatives. It has been known that among them, Kim Young-nam was the husband of Japanese abductee, Yokota Megumi.South Korean Navy personnel
On June 5, 1970, North Korean patrol boats seized a South Korean broadcast vessel with 20 crew on board off the west coast near the military demarcation line. The vessel was standing on guard for South Korean fishing boats.Korean Air Line plane hijacking
In December 1969, North Korean agents hijacked a South Korean airliner YS-11 to WonsanWonsan
Wŏnsan is a port city and naval base in southeastern North Korea. It is the capital of Kangwŏn Province. The population of the city is estimated to have been 331,000 in 2000. Notable people from Wŏnsan include Kim Ki Nam, diplomat and Secretary of the Workers' Party.- History :The original name of...
en route from Kangnung to Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
with 51 persons aboard; in February 1970, 39 of the crew and passengers were released. The remaining 11 were still detained in North Korea. Eventually, two stewardesses became announcers of the North Korean propaganda broadcasts that target South Korean audiences.
Abductions abroad
In February 1978, South Korean actress Choi Eun-heeChoi Eun-hee
Choi Eun-hee is a South Korean actress. She began her film career in 1947 in the film A New Oath. For the next 20 years, she was one of the biggest stars in Korean film and led the Shin Film company along with her husband, the director Shin Sang-ok.In 1978, Choi and Shin, who she had recently...
and her film-director husband Shin Sang-ok were kidnapped in Hong Kong and taken to Pyongyang. They were abducted on the orders of Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
, son of the "Great Leader" Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung
Kim Il-sung was a Korean communist politician who led the Democratic People's Republic of Korea from its founding in 1948 until his death in 1994. He held the posts of Prime Minister from 1948 to 1972 and President from 1972 to his death...
, who wanted to use them to improve the North Korean film industry. Shin attempted to escape, and spent five years in a re-education camp, before being reunited with his wife. While living in North Korea, Shin made the monster movie Pulgasari
Pulgasari
Pulgasari is a North Korean feature film produced in 1985, a giant-monster film similar to the Japanese Godzilla series. It was produced by South Korean director Shin Sang-ok, who had been kidnapped in 1978 by North Korean intelligence on the orders of Kim Jong-il, son of the then-ruling Kim...
. In April 1984, South Korean government officials stated that the kidnappees were working in North Korea producing propaganda films that glorified Kim Il Sung and his son, Kim Jong Il. The couple escaped to South Korea in 1986 while on a filming assignment in Vienna.
In the 1990s most abductions of this sort took place in China, and their victims were political activists, missionaries, and real or suspected South Korean spies. All these abductions occurred in the Chinese North-East, near the borders of North Korea.
- In January 2000, South Korean Rev. Kim Dong-Shik, a legal resident of the U.S., was reported missing in Yanji, northeastern China. Rev. Kim is reported to have been actively involved since 1995 in evangelical work among North Korean escapees/refugees in Yanji, Jilin Province, China. In October 2000, South Korea’s National Intelligence Service reportedly confirmed that Rev. Kim was kidnapped by North Koreans in Yanbian, China, on February 1, 2000. In April 2005, the Seoul Central District Court convicted Chinese citizen Ryu Young-hwa of assisting North Korean agents in the abduction of Rev. Kim.
- In July 1995, A team of three North Korean agents and their two Korean-Chinese collaborators in Jilin abducted a South Korean pastor, Rev. Ahn Seung-woon , in southern Manchuria. Pyongyang claimed that Rev. Ahn defected voluntarily. But a Chinese court convicted a North Korean citizen of masterminding the abduction of Rev. Ahn and deported the agent to North Korea in July 1997 following a two-year prison term.
North Korean abductions have not been limited to northeast Asia and many documented abductees have been kidnapped while abroad, making the issue of serious concern to the international community.
- On April 5, 1971, North Korean agents abducted Yu Sung-gun, a South Korean diplomat stationed at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in West Germany. Yu had taken a taxi and stated his destination was "Embassy of Korea" but the driver took him to the embassy of the wrong country.
- In June 1979, South Korean teacher Ko Sang-moon was abducted by North Koreans in Norway.
- In August 1987, Lee Chae-hwan, a South Korean student enrolled in U.S. MIT was abducted by North Koreans while on a visit to Austria.
See also
- Korean War POWs detained in North KoreaKorean War POWs detained in North Korea"Korean War POWs Detained in North Korea" refer to the tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers who were captured by the North Korean and Chinese forces during the Korean War but were not returned during the prisoner exchanges under the 1953 Armistice Agreement...
- List of Korea-related topics
- Human rights in North KoreaHuman rights in North KoreaThe human rights record of North Korea is extremely hard to fully assess due to the secretive and closed nature of the country. The North Korean government makes it very difficult for foreigners to enter the country and strictly monitors their activities when they do...
- North Korean abductions of JapaneseNorth Korean abductions of JapaneseThe abductions of Japanese citizens from Japan by agents of the North Korean government happened during a period of six years from 1977 to 1983. Although only 17 Japanese are officially recognized by the Japanese government as having been abducted, there may have been as many as 70 to 80...
- Isang YunIsang YunIsang Yun was a Korean-German composer originally from Korea. According to his official publisher's Boosey & Hawkes biography of him, he was granted political asylum by West Germany, eventually becoming a naturalised German citizen, following his abduction and torture in 1967 by the South Korean...
- North Korea - South Korea relations