Our family union was re-established in November of 2000, following the June 2000 North/South Summit Meeting, in an effort to publicize and take action in solving the issue of the more than 80,000 people who were abducted by North Korea without a trace during the Korean War. Our organization follows in the footsteps of the 6.25 Incident Abductee Family Association, which was formed during the Korean War in August 1951.

Our organization's efforts to publicize the truth behind Korean War abduction cases have focused on uncovering related source material concerning the abductions, and creating video footage documenting the testimony of former abductees who have escaped North Korea. In 2005, our organization established the Korean War Abductees Research Instituteand made public our collection of source materials on the institute's website (kwari.org). These materials have also been published in print form.

On top of this, our organization has worked hard to conduct investigations on abduction cases, restore the honor of abductees, and secure the passing of a special law that would make the government exercise its duty to protect abducted citizens. Sixty years after the first abductions occurred, the South Korean government has made promising steps in the right direction by passing the "Law Concerning Truth Investigations for Korean War Era North Korean Abductees and the Restoration of Their Honor" in 2010.

The ultimate goals of these efforts are to bring back the remains of abductees who have died in North Korea, and arrange the homecoming of those who are still living. During the September 2002 North-South Red Cross Talks, an agreement was reached to begin determining the fate and whereabouts of those who had "gone missing" during the Korean War. The use of the term "North Korean abductees" was avoided, however, and the agreement itself led to no progress on the issue. During the truce talks at the end of the Korean War, not one abductee was able to return home because the word "displaced person"was used instead of "abductee." Our organization hopes that similar future efforts will avoid problems that have plagued such negotiations in the past.

Our organization believes that there are limits to what the Republic of Korea can do to solve the issue of North Korean abductees and is working on the international stage as well. The first success we have had was the unanimous passing of H.Res 376, the"North Korean Abductees Resolution," in the U.S. House of Representatives in December 2011. Since 2012, we have visited countries in Europe that host the International Committee of the Red Cross, UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, UN Commission of Inquiry and the International Criminal Courtwith the intent to find ways to spread the realities about the abduction war crimes andfind a resolution to the issue. We also believe that it is important for the countries that suffered abductions band together to receive support byproactively spreading information about the realities of the abduction issue to the international community.

For us, the Korean War is still a living reality. What we desire is to bring those who have been abducted by North Korea back to their families and their homeland. We are grateful for the active support of those of you whovisit our site and carry the belief that the truth, once revealed, will always prevail. Thank you.