Government: "North Korea, Return Missionary Kim Jung-wook Detained for 10 Years"

Ministry of Unification, 10th Year of Detention Marked with Spokesperson's Statement
"North Korea's Inhumane Measures... Do Not Ignore Basic Human Rights"

The government condemned North Korea's inhumane actions and called for the repatriation of our citizens on the 10th anniversary of missionary Kim Jeong-wook's detention in North Korea.

On the 8th, the Ministry of Unification issued a statement in the name of its spokesperson, saying, "It is the 10th anniversary of missionary Kim's forced detention by the Kim Jong-un regime," and "including missionaries Kim Guk-gi and Choi Chun-gil, six of our citizens have been deprived of their freedom against their will and have been detained in North Korea for a long time."

Missionary Kim Jeong-uk Detained in North Korea for 10 Years

The spokesperson said, "North Korea has been increasing the suffering of families by not providing even the minimum information such as the confirmation of life or death of our citizens detained in North Korea," "and the government condemns these illegal and inhumane actions by North Korean authorities and strongly urges North Korea, a party to international human rights treaties, to promptly return our citizens to the arms of their loving families."

Furthermore, the Ministry of Unification emphasized, "If North Korea has any awareness of human rights issues, it should no longer ignore this fundamental human rights matter." It also stated that it will actively work to confirm the whereabouts and life status of the detainees and their repatriation, adding, "We will make every effort necessary so that the unbearable pain of the families can be somewhat comforted."

Meanwhile, missionary Kim was arrested in Pyongyang in October 2013. In a trial the following May, he was sentenced to a "life labor reform sentence" on charges including plotting to overthrow the state, anti-state propaganda and agitation, and illegal border crossing. Besides missionary Kim, missionaries Kim Guk-gi and Choi Chun-gil were detained in 2014, and three North Korean defectors who acquired South Korean nationality were detained in 2016. Their whereabouts and life status remain unknown.

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