'Abductees, Detainees, and Korean War POWs' Mentioned for the First Time in South Korea-US Leaders' Joint Statement

First Mention as Korean President and ROK-US Summit Leader
Families of Abductees and Detainees "Thank President Yoon"
Park Seon-young "Must Lead to Multifaceted and Practical Efforts"

For 70 years since the armistice agreement, the issue of 'abductees, detainees, and Korean War POWs' had never been mentioned even once in the South Korea-US summit meetings, but on the 26th (local time), it was explicitly stated for the first time in the joint statement by the two leaders. This reflects the appeal made by Kim Jeong-sam, the brother of missionary Kim Jeong-uk who has been detained in North Korea for 10 years, to President Yoon Suk-yeol ahead of the summit, raising expectations that it will become a turning point in future policy.

According to the Presidential Office on the 28th, the South Korea-US leaders stated in the joint statement released immediately after the summit, "The Republic of Korea and the United States will strengthen cooperation to promote human rights in North Korea and resolve the issues of abductees, detainees, and unrepatriated Korean War POWs." This is the first time that the President of South Korea has mentioned the 'abductees, detainees, and Korean War POWs' issue, and the first time it has been explicitly included in a joint statement by the two leaders.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, on a state visit to the United States, presented the Taegeuk Military Merit Medal to Elmer Royce Williams, a retired Navy Colonel and Korean War veteran, at a luncheon for Korean War veterans held at a hotel in Washington DC on the 25th (local time).
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Until now, the issue of abductees, detainees, and Korean War POWs has been a sensitive topic between South Korea and the United States. There is even an anecdote that during the armistice process of the Korean War, when the first President Syngman Rhee released anti-communist prisoners of war, the U.S. had prepared the so-called 'Everready Plan' to remove President Rhee in case of emergency. Dwight Eisenhower, then President of the United States, recalled that "the only time during my eight years in office that I woke up startled was then," reflecting the sharply conflicting positions between the two countries. Since then, South Korea and the U.S. have avoided mentioning the issues of abductees or Korean War POWs.

In response, since 2013, Kim Jeong-sam, the brother of missionary Kim Jeong-uk detained in North Korea, along with six human rights organizations including the North Korean Human Rights Citizens Alliance, Han Voice, North Korea Justice Coalition, Korean War POW Families Association, Mulmangcho, and Transition Justice Working Group (TJWG), sent letters on the 20th urging Presidents Yoon and Biden to resolve the issues of abductees, detainees, and Korean War POWs.

North Korea has consistently refused to repatriate at least 50,000 to 80,000 Korean War POWs and about 100,000 civilian abductees over the past 70 years. Since the 1953 armistice agreement, North Korea has detained at least 516 Korean War POWs and civilian abductees through incidents such as the Vietnam War, the KAL plane abduction, and the capture of the Navy broadcasting ship 'I-2,' but the North Korean authorities deny the very existence of these individuals. Even in the past 10 years, at least six South Korean nationals (Kim Guk-gi, Choi Chun-gil, Kim Jeong-uk, Kim Won-ho, Go Hyun-cheol, and one unidentified person) have been captured and have not returned from North Korea.

Last November, the leaders of South Korea, the U.S., and Japan reaffirmed their joint will for the immediate resolution of the abduction issue through the Phnom Penh statement. South Korea and Japan share the common challenge of the 'abduction' issue, and the fact that this has expanded to include Korean War POWs and was addressed in the South Korea-US joint statement reflects the strong determination of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration to resolve the issue. President Yoon's emphasis on 'patriotic service' on various occasions such as his inauguration, Liberation Day, and West Sea Defense Day also suggests that the Korean War POW issue, which previous administrations had 'buried,' is poised for a turning point.

Shin Hee-seok, legal analyst at the Transition Justice Working Group (TJWG), said, "Like the release of detained Americans, diplomatic negotiations and efforts should continue so that Koreans can also return," adding, "Especially during Biden's visit to Korea, as well as his visit to Japan, meetings with victims' families should be held, and South Korea and the U.S. need to strengthen cooperation to resume the 'UN Security Council open debate on North Korean human rights,' which has been suspended since 2017, and to establish a 'mechanism for holding North Korea accountable.'"

Abductees, a father who has not returned for over 50 years

Hwang In-cheol, representative of the '1969 KAL Hijacking Victims' Families Association,' is seen holding a solo protest in front of the Government Seoul Office last October. He urged the government to demand the repatriation of abductees from North Korea.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Hwang In-cheol, representative of the KAL Plane Abductee Victims' Families Association, expressed his gratitude with a trembling voice upon hearing the news that the 'abductees' issue was mentioned for the first time in the joint statement by the South Korea-US leaders. Born in 1967, Hwang had to part with his father in 1969 due to the KAL abduction incident when he was only three years old. His father, Hwang Won, an MBC PD (then 32 years old), was abducted to the North and has now become an elderly man over eighty.

Hwang said, "The Moon Jae-in administration treated our family and other victims as obstacles to inter-Korean peace, and the past five years were truly heartbreaking," adding, "I have been working on this issue for 22 years, but it was the first time the First Lady came to comfort us," and "Her sincere empathy was a great consolation." Earlier, First Lady Kim Keon-hee met with Hwang and other victims' families on the 12th to personally explain her determination to resolve the issue.

Hwang expressed great expectations for President Yoon's determination shown at the South Korea-US summit. He appealed, "Victims' families desperately hope to at least know whether their family members abducted to the North are alive," and "If I could just meet my father, I would ask for nothing more." He urged, "I hope the Yoon Suk-yeol administration firmly holds North Korea accountable and achieves practical confirmation of life and death."

Detainees, a younger brother held in North Korea for 10 years

Missionary Kim Jung-wook, who was detained in North Korea in October 2013 while conducting missionary activities helping North Korean defectors

Kim Jeong-sam, the brother of missionary Kim Jeong-uk who has been detained in North Korea for 10 years, said, "As an older brother, there were clear limits to what I could do personally, and there has been little progress over the past 10 years," adding, "I prayed earnestly and sent letters to Presidents Yoon and Biden ahead of the summit, and I am deeply grateful that they did not forget and responded through the joint statement."

Missionary Kim Jeong-uk was arrested in October 2013 in North Korea on charges of espionage while helping defectors near the North Korea-China border. In February 2014, Kim held a press conference in Pyongyang stating that he was detained in North Korea on charges of anti-state crimes and apologized for his actions. North Korean authorities reportedly sentenced him to life labor reform for plotting to overthrow the state.

Kim Jeong-sam said, "On the 70th anniversary of the armistice, I earnestly pray for the release and repatriation of detainees including my brother," and appealed, "I hope the mention by the South Korea-US leaders is not the end but a new beginning. I hope it will be the first step toward fulfilling the heartfelt wishes of victims' families through efforts by the South Korean government, the South Korea-US alliance, and the international community including the UN."

Korean War POWs, 'veterans' ignored by all past governments

Park Sun-young, Chairperson of the nonprofit organization Mulmangcho (left), and Kim Sung-tae, a 'defector North Korean POW' grandfather [Image source=Yonhap News]

Park Sun-young, director of the nonprofit organization Mulmangcho and former member of the 18th National Assembly, welcomed the fact that "this is the first time since the Korean War that the Korean War POW issue has been mentioned by the President of South Korea and included in a joint statement by the South Korea-US leaders." She emphasized, "This should not end as a one-time event; multifaceted efforts are urgently needed," and urged, "The average age of Korean War POW elders is over 90, so it should lead to the outcome of bringing even one of them home."

Park also proposed several concrete measures as the first step toward resolving the issue. First, she stressed the need to raise public awareness of the reality of the issue, as past governments have ignored the Korean War POW problem and the public is largely unaware of its seriousness, saying, "If the President honors Korean War POWs on the upcoming Memorial Day, it would have symbolic significance not only for the public service community but also for the nation."

Additionally, Park repeatedly suggested adopting the American 'Missing Man Table' culture. This refers to a table left empty in U.S. military dining halls or memorial events to honor missing soldiers. The hidden meaning of the 'empty table' drew significant attention at the luncheon on the 25th (local time), where President Yoon awarded the Taegeuk Order of Military Merit to Korean War veterans in the U.S.

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