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Jul. 7, 2011 - Investigation for 96,000 Begun
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2014-01-14 12:10:21  |  Hit 1217



Investigation for 96,000 abductees have just begun

Joongang Daily
Jul. 7, 2011


¡¡ South Koreans taken to the North during the Korean War have suffered from their abduction, guilt-by-association for their families, and the forgetfulness of the public. The Korean War Abductees¡¯ Family Union is taking the lead to alleviate such pain.

The National Committee on Investigating Abductions by North Korea during the Korean War and Restoring Honor of the Victims, which had its first meeting last December, is chaired by Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik and has 14 members, including Minister of Unification, Hyun In-taek, experts, and family members of the abductees.

The Committee has decided to take the 61st anniversary of the Korean War as an opportunity to find out the truth about the abductions, assess the damage and recover the honor of the families of the abductees. To do so, the Committee is receiving reports both in Korea (contact info: 1661-6250) and overseas through diplomatic offices. The number of abductees during the Korean War is thought to be 96,000.

Park Seon-yeong, the member of the National Assembly who proposed the relevant act, emphasized that, to add force, the Korean government needs to appoint a Special Affairs Minister on the abductees as Japan did for 17 abducted Japanese.

Ryu Ho-yeol, professor of North Korean Studies at Korea University, said, ¡°South Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission during the Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun governments investigated incidents all the way up to the Donghak Peasant Revolution in 1894, but did not investigate the abduction of civilians by North Korea during the Korea War, which is the most tragic incident of Korean history.¡± He added, ¡°The National Committee on Investigating Abductions by North Korea during the Korean War and Restoring Honor of the Victims is meaningful in that it was established to investigate past affairs in a fair way.¡±

Lee Mi-il, president of the Korean War Abductees¡¯ Family Union, whose father was abducted when she was a baby, said, ¡°I felt like my world was collapsing when then-President Kim Dae-jung said in September 2000 that he would make an effort to address the issue of the 480 abductees.¡± She criticized the then-government for basically abandoning 90,000 Korean War abductees.

Experts emphasized that there is a need to secure domestic and foreign documents proving the systematic North Korean abductions and to prepare for the identification and repatriation of the remains of the abductees by collecting DNA samples from their families. Lee Mi-il said that she hopes that the families of the abductees will one day no longer need to sing ¡°Miari Hill of Sadness.¡±
  List  
No
Title
Name
Date
Hit
72 Oct.7,2011 - Effort to Pass Resolution in USA
admin
14-01-14 1296
71 Oct. 3, 2011 - Seminar Urging Repatriation
admin
14-01-14 1313
70 Sept. 14, 2011 - U.S. Ambassador Urges
admin
14-01-14 1167
69 Aug.16, 2011 - Interview with Lee Mi-il
admin
14-01-14 2431
68 Aug. 4, 2011 - Editorial of Joongang Daily
admin
14-01-14 1147
67 Aug. 4, 2011 - Editorial of Chosun Daily
admin
14-01-14 1137
66 Aug. 3, 2011 - Gov. Official Acknowledge 55
admin
14-01-14 1231
65 Aug. 3, 2011 - Gov. Official Acknowledge 55
admin
14-01-14 1911
64 Jul. 28, 2011 - Day of Remembrance
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14-01-14 1169
63 Jul. 7, 2011 - Investigation for 96,000 Begun
admin
14-01-14 1216
62 Jun.27, 2011 - If only I could know his fate
admin
14-01-14 1324
61 Jun. 27, 2011 - Just want to know their fate
admin
14-01-14 1245
60 May 14, 2011- HRNK's Report on the Abduction
admin
14-01-14 1321
59 May5,2010-Resolve mother¡¯s 60-year resentment
admin
14-01-14 1276
58 May 5, 2011- 12 Nations to Discuss Abduction
admin
14-01-14 1246
57 Apr. 28, 2011 - Event of Reciting the Names
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14-01-14 1189
56 Mar. 4, 2011- 125 Reports have been Submitted
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14-01-14 1198
55 Dec.14, 2010- First Attempt of the Government
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14-01-14 1248
54 Dec.13, 2010 - Opening Ceremony of Committee
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14-01-14 1243
53 Dec.13, 2010 - Establishment of the Committee
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14-01-14 1333
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