North Korea remains silent for four days on 'body handover'... Ministry of Unification says "We will wait"

Inter-Korean Liaison Office Normal Call... No Mention of North Korea

Cho Jung-hoon, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] The Ministry of Unification has expressed its intention to repatriate the body of a woman presumed to be a North Korean resident to the North, but North Korea has not responded for four consecutive days.

Cho Jung-hoon, spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, stated at a regular briefing on the 14th, "During the 9 a.m. work commencement call at the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office today, there was no mention from the North Korean side regarding the handover of the body presumed to be a North Korean resident."

The Ministry of Unification attempted to send a notification to the North on the morning of the 11th through the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office, expressing the intention to repatriate the body presumed to be a North Korean resident, and again in the afternoon inquiring whether it was received, but the North ultimately did not accept it.

Spokesperson Cho said, "Last Friday (the 11th), we attempted to deliver the notification several times through the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office and also announced our position through the media," adding, "The Ministry of Unification considers that our intention has been conveyed to the North and plans to wait for the North's response until the proposed handover date of November 17."

The notification states that "the body and personal effects of the North Korean resident will be handed over to the North at Panmunjom on the 17th," and it is issued under the name of the chairman of the Korean Red Cross. The body, discovered last summer by campers in the bushes downstream of the Gunam Dam, was in an advanced state of decomposition but was presumed to be a North Korean resident because the upper garment bore a badge (emblem) featuring portraits of North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.

Until now, when the South Korean government expressed its intention to hand over bodies, North Korea has responded after a period ranging from one to six days. Typically, when badges bearing the portraits of the Kim Il-sung family or North Korean-style resident registration cards called Gongminjeung are found, the individual is recognized as a North Korean resident and the body is repatriated. However, if North Korea refuses to accept the repatriation despite clear evidence, it would be an unprecedented case of rejecting the return of a citizen's body.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.