Kim Young-ho, Promised to Address 'Abductees' Issue'... Core Victims 'Excluded'

Kim Young-ho "Efforts to Resolve POWs, Abductees, and Detainees"
Unification Ministry Excludes Key Victims from Minister Meeting
"Unification Ministry Must Stop Blaming Defense Ministry First"

Although the Ministry of Unification has established a dedicated organization to resolve issues related to Korean War prisoners of war (POWs), abductees, and detainees, it has been confirmed that key victims were excluded from the meeting with the newly appointed Minister Kim Young-ho.

According to a comprehensive report by Asia Economy on the 2nd, Minister Kim is scheduled to meet with heads of organizations related to Korean War POWs, abductees, and detainees at around 1:30 p.m. on the 3rd. The attendees include the nonprofit organization Mulmangcho, the 6.25 War Abductees' Families Association, and the Postwar Abductees' Victims' Families Union. Given that this is Minister Kim's first public schedule emphasizing the issue of Korean War POWs, abductees, and detainees, it was evaluated as a repeated demonstration of his commitment to resolving the matter.

Kim Young-ho, Minister of Unification

The problem lies in the Ministry of Unification excluding 'key victims' such as Son Myunghwa, representative of the Korean War POW Families Association and daughter of the late Second Lieutenant Son Dongsik who died while detained in North Korea, and Hwang Incheol, representative of the KAL Hijacking Victims' Families Association and son of Hwang Won, an MBC PD abducted in 1969.

In Hwang's case, the Ministry of Unification initially invited him for a meeting but reversed the decision within a day without providing any reasons. These organizations strongly requested a meeting with Minister Kim, but their requests were not accepted.

Representatives including the two plan to hold a 'picket protest' at the Ministry of Unification timed with Minister Kim's meeting.

Son Myunghwa, representative of the Korean War POW Families Association, lamented, "I am the daughter of a Korean War POW and the representative of the families, so how can the Ministry of Unification marginalize us like this?" Hwang Incheol, representative of the KAL Hijacking Victims' Families Association, said, "Even if the President emphasizes resolving the issue, what improvement can there be when the officials continue the same practices as the previous government? I was happy when the new minister said he would meet us immediately, but being excluded like this breaks my heart."

The Ministry of Unification is preparing a large-scale organizational reform after being criticized by President Yoon Suk-yeol as a 'North Korea aid department.' The most notable change is the establishment of a 'Countermeasures Team for Abductees' directly under the minister to handle issues related to Korean War POWs, abductees, and detainees. Expectations arose that the Ministry of Unification, which had previously distanced itself by saying 'Korean War POWs are under the Ministry of National Defense,' would take active steps, but the situation seems to have faltered even before taking the first step.

"Ministry of Unification, stop blaming the Ministry of National Defense... Do the role you can"

Ministry of Unification Photo by Yonhap News

Experts with backgrounds as senior officials and human rights organizations have criticized the Ministry of Unification for being passive on the Korean War POW issue. In particular, the Ministry of Unification's direct role through cooperation with the Ministry of National Defense is discussed regarding ▲children of Korean War POWs ▲identification of survivors ▲investigation of human rights violations. For example, second- and third-generation Korean War POWs claim to have suffered forced labor as 'citizens of the Republic of Korea,' but they are simply classified as defectors.

Former Ambassador to Japan Shin Gak-su said, "It is deplorable to see the Ministry of National Defense categorizing returning Korean War POWs by grade and the Ministry of Unification doing nothing to repatriate these victims," adding, "The practice of excluding issues for dialogue during progressive governments continues as a default even under conservative administrations." He continued, "During my time at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I was asked for a legal opinion regarding children of Korean War POWs who defected to China, and this is clearly not defection but rather people with South Korean nationality who were detained by North Korea's illegal acts and escaped. The Ministry of Unification should not classify them simply as defectors."

Former Ambassador Shin also advised, "In the absence of dialogue channels, efforts to make North Korea respond to the Korean War POW issue through international solidarity would be useful," and "It is necessary to leverage Japan, which is active on abductee issues, and address this as a major agenda item at the Korea-US-Japan summit."

Lee Young-hwan, former head of the Transitional Justice Working Group, said, "If the Ministry of Unification has declared it will handle the Korean War POW issue, a proactive approach is needed to translate this into concrete tasks," adding, "Issues related to the status or position of second- and third-generation Korean War POWs who will continue to defect in the future should not be pushed off as 'under the Ministry of National Defense's jurisdiction.' This is the Ministry of Unification's responsibility and something it can do best, yet it has neglected the issue."

Meanwhile, 12 organizations including the North Korean Human Rights Citizens' Alliance and Kim Jeong-sam, brother of missionary Kim Jeong-uk detained in North Korea, sent a letter to President Yoon on the same day requesting that the abductee, detainee, and Korean War POW issues be addressed as agenda items at the upcoming Korea-US-Japan summit on the 18th. Earlier, the Korea-US leaders had stated in a joint statement released immediately after their summit in April that they would "strengthen cooperation to resolve issues related to abductees, detainees, and unrepatriated Korean War POWs."

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