'Delivery of the Body' No Response from North Korea... Ministry of Unification "Will Wait One More Week"

"No Answer, Handling of Unclaimed Deceased"

Lee Hyo-jung, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Unification [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] North Korea has not responded for over a week to the South Korean government's proposal to hand over a body presumed to be a North Korean resident. The Ministry of Unification plans to wait until the 24th, and if there is no response, treat the case as an unclaimed death.

Lee Hyo-jung, deputy spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, said at a regular briefing on the 18th, "On the 11th, the Ministry of Unification expressed its intention to hand over the body presumed to be a North Korean resident to the North on November 17, but the North has not yet acknowledged receipt of the notification or expressed willingness to accept it," adding, "In the joint inter-Korean liaison office call at 9 a.m. today, they also did not state their position on this matter."

Lee explained, "The Ministry of Unification plans to wait about another week for the North's response," and "If the North does not express its intention by November 24, the ministry will consult with the relevant local government to treat the body presumed to be a North Korean resident as an unclaimed death."

The government attempted to send a notification to the North on the morning of the 11th through the inter-Korean joint liaison office, stating its intention to repatriate one female body presumed to be a North Korean resident, and followed up in the afternoon to confirm receipt, but the North ultimately did not accept it. The notification, issued in the name of the chairman of the Korean Red Cross, stated that "the body and personal effects presumed to be those of a North Korean resident found on July 23 at the Gunam Dam on the Imjin River in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, will be handed over to the North at Panmunjom on the 17th."

At the time of discovery, the body was severely decomposed, but the upper garment bore a badge featuring portraits of North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, leading to the presumption that the deceased was a North Korean resident.

According to the Ministry of Unification, since 2010, 23 bodies presumed to be North Korean residents have been handed over to the North. While the North has generally accepted South Korea's proposals for body handovers, three bodies?two in 2017 and one in 2019?were not transferred due to North Korea's lack of response. The last time the South handed over a body to the North was in November 2019, involving a body found in the West Sea.

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