[Exclusive] The Military POW Committee Held by the Moon Administration... Yoon Administration 'Suspends'

Yoon Declares 'Resolution of Korean War POWs' Through Summit Diplomacy
Defense Ministry Violates Regulations by Not Convening 'Countermeasure Committee'
Korean War POWs Left Uncompensated for 'Forced Labor' and Ignored

The Ministry of National Defense has been confirmed to have not convened the 'Intergovernmental Committee on Korean War POW Measures,' which is supposed to be held twice a year to resolve the issue of Korean War prisoners of war (POWs), even once since the current administration took office. Although President Yoon Suk-yeol has repeatedly expressed his determination to resolve the POW issue by raising it as a major agenda item through diplomatic channels, criticism is emerging that practical measures have been sluggish.

According to data obtained by Asia Economy on the 5th through the office of Tae Young-ho, a member of the People Power Party, the Ministry of National Defense has not convened the 'Intergovernmental Committee on Korean War POW Measures,' which is required to be held every half-year, even once since the launch of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. The committee is chaired by the Vice Minister of National Defense and includes senior officials from seven ministries such as the Ministry of Unification, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the National Intelligence Service. Its mission is to establish comprehensive measures related to Korean War POWs and deliberate on major issues.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is delivering a memorial speech at the National Seoul National Cemetery last June. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the 'Operational Regulations on the Repatriation of Korean War POWs,' the Ministry of National Defense must convene regular meetings once each in the first and second halves of the year. As the second year of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration is nearing its end, the committee should have been held at least four times, but the ministry violated operational regulations by not activating the committee. Even during the Moon Jae-in administration, which was criticized for neglecting the POW issue by prioritizing a conciliatory approach toward North Korea, the committee was convened twice. In July 2020, it addressed revisions to the basic policy on the repatriation of Korean War POWs, and in November of the following year, it discussed the roles of each agency and information exchange.

The current administration regards Korean War POWs as a key issue related to 'North Korean human rights.' President Yoon reiterated his determination to resolve the POW issue at the Korea-U.S. summit in April this year and at the Korea-U.S.-Japan summit held at Camp David in August. Furthermore, Cho Tae-yong, Director of the National Security Office, was a figure who showed great interest in the issue, having criticized the Moon Jae-in administration in June 2021, when he was a member of the National Assembly, for not convening the committee biannually. At that time, he pointed out that "there is no dedicated department for Korean War POWs within the Ministry of National Defense, and only two staff members are in charge," demanding improvements, but this issue remains unchanged.

The Ministry of National Defense explained, "Since there have been no Korean War POWs returning to South Korea since 2011 and due to the nature of the policy environment with little volatility, the committee was not convened." However, this is an arbitrary violation of operational regulations, and the cessation of POW returns was a condition shared by the Lee Myung-bak, Park Geun-hye, and Moon Jae-in administrations as well. Rather, earlier this year, three Korean War POWs won a damages lawsuit against North Korea, bringing the 'compensation issue' to the forefront, and there are numerous unresolved tasks such as ▲amending the Korean War POW Repatriation Act ▲investigating the truth and restoring honor for Korean War POWs ▲surveying and recording the actual conditions of Korean War POWs.

Park Sun-young, director of Mulmangcho and a former member of the 18th National Assembly, said, "The issue of Korean War POWs is one that the United Nations is paying attention to and the United States has a keen interest in," adding, "President Yoon promised to work toward resolving the Korean War POW issue on the diplomatic stage, but isn't it contradictory that the intergovernmental committee, which was held even during the previous administration when interest was distant, has not been convened at all under this administration?" She continued, "The Ministry of National Defense should identify and disclose how many Korean War POWs remain in North Korea and the horrific conditions under which they have suffered forced labor."

While the Ministry of National Defense Remains Idle... "Only 10 Survivors Remain Domestically"

Defense Minister Shin Won-sik is paying tribute by laying flowers at the funeral hall of Kim Sung-tae, an elderly North Korean defector and former POW, on the 2nd.
[Photo by Ministry of National Defense]

Among the issues related to Korean War POWs, 'damages compensation' is considered the most urgent. For example, Kim Sung-tae, an elderly North Korean defector and Korean War POW, won a damages lawsuit against North Korea in May this year after a protracted 32-month legal battle, but he passed away on the 31st of last month without receiving any compensation for the forced labor he endured for 51 years. A practical alternative is to repay using royalties from North Korean state media held by the South-North Economic and Cultural Cooperation Foundation (Chairman Lim Jong-seok), but the foundation maintains the stance that the money should be paid to the individual copyright holders, not the North Korean authorities.

Before taking office, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik proposed an amendment to the Korean War POW Repatriation Act in June to resolve this issue. The amendment applies a subrogation payment method allowing the state to compensate first. In an interview with this publication at the time, he promised after meeting with Kim Sung-tae, "I will do my utmost to ensure that Korean War POWs who risked their lives for the country receive proper treatment and compensation." Regarding this, the Ministry of National Defense stated, "Since the bill to amend the law, which includes subrogation payment of damages and exercise of recourse rights, is pending in the National Assembly, we will review it carefully."

Regarding future plans, the Ministry of National Defense recalled the 'Act on the Investigation of the Truth and Restoration of Honor for Korean War POWs' proposed by then-Assemblyman Cho Tae-yong in 2021, emphasizing, "We agree on the necessity of establishing a 'committee' at the government level to investigate the truth and restore honor for Korean War POWs from the Korean War." They added, "We are promoting amendments to the Korean War POW Repatriation Act to establish basic policies for Korean War POWs, impose reporting obligations to the National Assembly, and create grounds for the National Assembly to recommend corrections or improvements on reported matters. We will strive to strengthen interest and support at the National Assembly level."

Assemblyman Tae Young-ho lamented, "With the recent passing of Kim Sung-tae, a North Korean defector and Korean War POW, only ten Korean War POW survivors remain in South Korea," adding, "Despite winning a lawsuit for damages for being taken to North Korea and subjected to forced labor for 51 years, he passed away without receiving compensation." He continued, "The government must fulfill its fundamental duty to protect the lives and safety of its citizens and resolve the grievances of the remaining survivors by preparing solutions such as subrogation payment. Normalizing the 'Intergovernmental Committee on Korean War POW Measures,' which oversees the issue, is the starting point."

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