January 19, 2001, Chosun Ilbo, p. 26
Korean War Abductees Advocates Send Petition to Blue House

The families of people abducted by North Korea during the Korean War have called on the South Korean government to quickly move forward with measures to account for the whereabouts of the abductees and their repatriation.

Mi-Il Lee, the president of the Korean War Abductees’ Family Union (KWAFU), and around ten others submitted a petition to the Blue House yesterday. The petition called for “President Kim Dae Jung to personally resolves issues surrounding the whereabouts and repatriation of an estimated 85,000 people who were abducted by North Korea during the Korean War.”

The petition contained the signatures of around 7,000 people, including family members of abductees and ordinary citizens.
“The South Korean government is also responsible for the wartime abduction issue because it blew up the Han River bridge in its hurry to escape enemy forces. Despite this, it has shown no interest whatsoever in trying to repatriate the abductees or investigate the issue,” read the petition. “The government must repatriate those who have survived and make efforts to ensure that the remains of those who have died be returned to their families.”

The group proposed that the government first collect applications confirming the whereabouts of abductees nationwide in order to make a list of abductees; hire experts and veteran negotiators; and establish a department within the Ministry of Unification to deal with the abductee issue.

“There is a major difference between people who were abducted by North Korea and those who left North Korea of their own volition to come down South,” said KWAFU President Mi-Il Lee, whose own father was abducted by North Korean forces in September 1950. “We are calling for the repatriation of the abductees, not the current reunions taking place between divided families.” This coming March, KWAFU plans to launch a nationwide signature campaign for the repatriation of Korean War abductees.