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Sept. 14, 2011 - U.S. Ambassador Urges
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2014-01-14 13:29:22  |  Hit 1192
U.S. ambassador urges S. Korea not to forget Korean War abductees

Yonhap News
Sept.14, 2011


U.S. Ambassador Kathleen Stephens urged Wednesday that South Korea not forget its nationals forcibly abducted by the North Korean army during the 1950-53 Korean War, raising an issue which critics say has been soft-pedaled by Seoul.

Stephens, who is set to step down as ambassador to Seoul after three years of working here, made the remarks in an article she posted on the U.S. embassy's Web site, after meeting with representatives of the Seoul-based Korean War Abductees' Family Union (KWAFU).

"I respect KWAFU's efforts, including its plan to establish a museum or memorial in memory of those abducted to the North," Stephens said.

"When dealing with the challenge of North Korea as a foreign policy matter, reasonable people can disagree on approaches and strategies," the outgoing ambassador said.

However, Stephens said that the KWAFU's efforts reminded "all of us that the sacrifice and suffering that underpinned the Republic of Korea's great success came in many forms, and should not be forgotten." The Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name.

According to an estimate by the KWAFU, more than 110,000 South Koreans were kidnapped during the war by North Korea, which denies any such activity and argues that many South Koreans voluntarily defected to the communist country.

Last year, South Korea belatedly launched a committee headed by Prime Minister Kim Hwang-sik to disclose the truth about kidnap victims during the war, which ended in a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.

About eight months after the launch, the committee acknowledged that 55 South Koreans were abducted by North Korea during the war, marking the first official recognition of abduction victims.

In May this year, the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, a human rights group, claimed that North Korea has kidnapped more than 180,000 foreigners over the past several decades.
  List  
No
Title
Name
Date
Hit
72 Oct.7,2011 - Effort to Pass Resolution in USA
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14-01-14 1341
71 Oct. 3, 2011 - Seminar Urging Repatriation
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14-01-14 1336
70 Sept. 14, 2011 - U.S. Ambassador Urges
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14-01-14 1191
69 Aug.16, 2011 - Interview with Lee Mi-il
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14-01-14 2467
68 Aug. 4, 2011 - Editorial of Joongang Daily
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14-01-14 1174
67 Aug. 4, 2011 - Editorial of Chosun Daily
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14-01-14 1168
66 Aug. 3, 2011 - Gov. Official Acknowledge 55
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14-01-14 1304
65 Aug. 3, 2011 - Gov. Official Acknowledge 55
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14-01-14 1944
64 Jul. 28, 2011 - Day of Remembrance
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14-01-14 1201
63 Jul. 7, 2011 - Investigation for 96,000 Begun
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14-01-14 1235
62 Jun.27, 2011 - If only I could know his fate
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14-01-14 1364
61 Jun. 27, 2011 - Just want to know their fate
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14-01-14 1275
60 May 14, 2011- HRNK's Report on the Abduction
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14-01-14 1344
59 May5,2010-Resolve mother¡¯s 60-year resentment
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14-01-14 1299
58 May 5, 2011- 12 Nations to Discuss Abduction
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14-01-14 1280
57 Apr. 28, 2011 - Event of Reciting the Names
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14-01-14 1219
56 Mar. 4, 2011- 125 Reports have been Submitted
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14-01-14 1238
55 Dec.14, 2010- First Attempt of the Government
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14-01-14 1280
54 Dec.13, 2010 - Opening Ceremony of Committee
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53 Dec.13, 2010 - Establishment of the Committee
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14-01-14 1358
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