North Korea Ignores 'Kim Il-sung Emblem' Corpse for Two Weeks... Ministry of Unification "Until Today"

"No Answer, Handling of Unclaimed Deceased"

Statues of Chairman Kim Il-sung and National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il [Image source=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 indicated its willingness to receive it for two weeks. If North Korea ultimately does not respond, the body will be treated as that of an unclaimed deceased person.

An official from the Ministry of Unification told reporters on the 24th, "Until this morning, North Korea has not expressed any intention regarding the acceptance of the body of the North Korean resident," adding, "We will wait until this evening."

He continued, "If it is judged that North Korea has no intention to accept, we plan to proceed with the process of treating the body as that of an unclaimed deceased person in consultation with local governments," adding, "We will monitor North Korea's response and expect to explain the details in a briefing tomorrow."

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 hand over the body presumed to be a North Korean resident to the North. The notification, issued in the name of the chairman of the Korean Red Cross, stated that "the body and personal effects presumed to be of a North Korean resident found at the Gunam Dam on the Imjin River in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province on July 23 will be handed over to the North at Panmunjom on the 17th."

Although the body was severely decomposed when discovered, it was presumed to be a North Korean resident because the upper garment bore badges featuring portraits of North Korean leaders Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il.

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Unification, since 2010, 23 bodies presumed to be North Korean residents have been handed over to the North. North Korea has generally accepted South Korea’s proposals to hand over bodies, but three bodies?two in 2017 and one in 2019?were not handed over due to North Korea’s non-response. The last time the South handed over a body to the North was one found in the West Sea in November 2019.

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