We Pray for Those Abducted by the North 60 years ago

Chosun Daily
Dec. 21, 2011


Pastor Kim Seong-ho, Co-chair of Association of North Korean Human Right Organizations, Lee Mi-il, President of the Korean War Abductees’ Family Union, Kim Hang-tae, family member of abductees, and Kim Bok-nam (from left)

They participated in a Christmas service with the families of the Korean War abductees at Kyungdong Presbyterian Church, Jangchung-dong, Seoul on the 20th.

“Men should not shed tears. Please take care of your grandmother, mother and younger sibling.”

Choi Gwang-seok (77, Dongducheon, Gyeonggi province) still vividly remembers when he last saw his father, Choi Jun (48 at the time of abduction) on September 17, 1950. His father told his oldest son, who was 16 at that time, to take care of the family while he himself was covered with wounds due to torture at a building of the Security Bureau in Jegi-dong, Seoul.

His father, a teacher at Daegwang High School, was involved in a movement advocating participation in the May 10th election. Because of his involvement, Choi Jun was arrested by the North Korean soldiers. However, the real reason behind his abduction was that he was an elder of a church from North Korea. Because of this, Choi Jun was taken back to North Korea.

In a Christmas service with the families of the Korean War abductees held at Kyungdong Presbyterian Church, Jangchung-dong, Seoul, by the Association of Korean Christian Pastors, 30 family members of the abductees, including Choi Gwang-seok, attended. Every year, the Association of Korean Christian Pastors holds a Christmas service with marginalized people in society. However, this year, the Association decided to have a Christmas service with the families of the Korean War abductees in an effort to remember Christian abductees and support the Nation-wide Campaign to Wear Mulmangcho (Forget-me-not) Badges by the Korean War Abductees’ Family Union (KWAFU).

In the service, Pastor Kim Seong-ho (80), Co-chair of the Association of North Korean Human Right Organizations, said “According to one statistic, the number of church leaders abducted during the Korean War was 194, and the number killed was 176. This is the first time in 61 years that churches are giving attention to the issue of the Korean War abductions.

Pastor Kim’s father, Kim Yu-yeon, who was also a pastor, was abducted. On June 27, 1950, two days after the invasion of North Korea, Pastor Kim Yu-yeon decided to stay in Seoul with other Christian leaders. At the end of July, he put his son in a boat and helped him to cross the Han River to escape. “I promised something before God and the church” became his last words.

According to Pastor Kim Seong-ho, after the Korean War, people in the Christian community were divided into two groups, those who crossed the river and those who remained. People who remained in Seoul were thought to have been taken to do forced labor for the Communist regime.

Therefore, the families of the abductees were reluctant to say their family member had been abducted, and churches did not give much attention. KWAFU President Lee Mi-il said, “I am grateful that churches in Korea are finally beginning to share the pain and suffering of the families of the abductees.”

On that day, the Association of Korean Christian Pastors delivered 20 million won (20,000 US dollars) to KWAFU to support the Nation-wide Campaign to Wear Mulmangcho (Forget-me-not) Badges and plans to continuously support KWAFU.