Minutes of joint meeting of heads of offices in charge of abductee issue

1. Purpose: To discuss ideas to rescue abductees and to prepare precise list

2. Date: July 24, 1954, 1:30PM

3. 3. Venue: Office of Foreign Affairs Minister

4. 4. Scope of Attendance

• Chairman, Defense Committee, National Assembly (absent)

• Lee Gye-sun, Chief of Guidance Division, Ministry of Home Affairs

• Chief of Section I, Special Intelligence Division, National Police Hqs. and 2 others

• Lee Su-yeong, Director, Intelligence Bureau and Choi Un-sang, Chief of Division I, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

• Col. Lee Gwan-sik, Chief, Office of Secret Military Information, Ministry of Defense

• Dokgo Young, Official, Division of Relief, Ministry of Social Affairs

• Tak Jang-je, Director, Statistics Bureau, Office of Public Information (OPI)

• Lee Chang-yeol, Director, General Affairs Bureau, National Red Cross

• Jeong Bok-hi, Vice President, Korean War Abductees’ Family Assn.

• Kim Hwa-suk, Secretary, , Korean War Abductees’ Family Assn

• Assistant, Institute for Armistice Study, Ministry of National Defense  

1. Content of Meeting

   - Summary by the Chairperson (Lee Su-yeong)

   1. Briefing on negotiation with ICRC for repatriation of abductees at the Geneva Conference 

   2. In view of the fact that even the released civilians (voluntary army soldiers), soldiers and policemen had to be excluded from the Korean War Abductee List published by the Office Public Information for submission, we could not submit the list with entire 82,595* abductees that includes even unclear victims to the ICRC. Therefore, an accurate list that the government can take responsibility of should be prepared for submission.

- Chief of Division I, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

(1) Introduction of OPI list in custody

(2) Request for ally of the Korean Red Cross with ICRC

(3) Self-introduction of meeting attendees.

(4) Report on proceedings of exchange of so-called displaced civilians held on both sides in accordance with the Armistice Agreement Clause 59

(5) Report on the status that we abided by the Armistice Agreement Clause 59, the enemy side has not repatriated even a single soldier except for repatriation of civilians of non-Korean nationality

(6) As a result of exchange of letters between ICRC and the Minister of Foreign Affairs regarding abductees, visit of ICRC Korea Investigation Delegation to Korea is expected.

(7) Military Armistice Committee, Committee to Assist Repatriation of Displaced Civilians and ICRC are requesting an accurate list.

- Director, Statistics Bureau, Office of Public Information

Reported on motive and proceeding of compilation of the Korean War Abductee List.

1. The motive and purpose of compiling the list with urgent registration of abductees without distinction of soldier, policeman or civilian on the nationalistic ground, as long as they were abducted by the puppet North Korean Internal Police authority is to publicize to the world the crime committed by the Communists, rather than to facilitate repatriation of the abducted civilians.

2. The reason why there have been duplication in names of abductees is because each family of which members dispersed here and there, responded to the survey at different places separately.

3. Since the Ministry of Home Affairs is equipped with administrative organs down to the lowest level, the responsibility of making the new list should be given to that ministry.

   - Chief of Guidance Division, Ministry of Home Affairs

   It is considered proper that OPI take the responsibility of making a new list since the existing one was also made by OPI, with cooperation to be given by Ministry of Home Affairs. 

   - Ministry of National Defense

   OPI should do it with the help from the Ministry of National Defense

   - Ministry of Social Affairs

   It is proper that OPI do it. 

   - Vice President, Korean War Abductees’ Family Assn

   I want to thank OPI for its efforts.
   I regret that Ministries of Home Affairs and Social Affairs have not rendered positive support on this matter.
   As the list published by OPI distinctively describes ‘missing person or others,’ it does not appear to be a list made with a focus on abductees. However, as it has not been formally given to the enemy side, what matters is not the list but the number. 

   Last year, on Oct. 22, at the joint meeting with the same purpose as today’s, held by the National Assembly, it was decided that the Ministry of Home Affairs be given the full responsibility of restudying to make a new list. However, the ministry has not only come up with any result but has only given a vague answer that the must have been completed. The new list should be made solely by the Ministry of Home Affairs. 

   - Director, Intelligence Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

   It is considered that the attendees of this meeting desire the Ministry of Home Affairs take the responsibility of making the list. In case, however, the ministry cannot take it, it would be seen as the government is not working on this. Therefore, it is requested that the representative of the Ministry of Home Affairs inform the result from your reporting on today’s meeting to your ministry to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If your ministry can take it, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will help your ministry receive the needed budget. 

   - The Korean Red Cross

   It is considered proper that the Ministry of Home Affairs take the entire mission.

- Choi Un-sang, Chief of Division I, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Taken that this subject has been concluded, we should move on to discuss on the budget and implementation method to simplify the next meeting.

- KWAFA

It is requested that the Ministry of Home Affairs decide on the date of the next meeting.

-Ministry of Home Affairs

By July 26 (Mon), we will inform you by phone approval/disapproval of my superior, and if my ministry decides to do it, we will submit for deliberation budget and implementation plan.

-Conclusion and measures

It is considered proper that the Ministry of Home Affairs take the whole responsibility of making a new list on the displaced civilians, while the necessary budget and implementation plan be prepared with the cooperation of the Institute for Armistice Study. It is, therefore, suggested that the ministers concerned issue urgent orders to their subordinates and offices under their jurisdiction for the earliest preparation of the list.

• a clerical mistake of 82,959