Abductee: Chang U-sop
Recorded Date: July 25th, 2013

Profile of Abductee

Name: Chang U-sop (male)
Date of birth: March 12th, 1901
Place of birth: Pyeongwon, Pyeongwon-gun, Pyeongannam-do,(Now North Korean territory)
Last address: 52, Ipjeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul
Date of abduction: August 7th, 1950 (age 49)
Place of abduction: Home
Occupation: Chief of Finance in a Local Agency of the Capitol Hall (the office building of Japanese general government and then used by US forces)
Education/Career: Elementary school teacher, lawyer, governor of Yeoncheon/Su-won, Gyeonggi-do
Dependants: Wife and Children (3 sons and 4 daughters)
Appearance/Personality: Family man, loved and cherished his wife




Profile of Witness

Name: Chang Gwang-hye (born in 1943)
Relation: Daughter of the abductee
Type of Witness: Indirect witness


Summary of Abduction

- He was working as a Chief of Finance in a Local Agency of the Capitol Hall when he was abducted.
- When the Korean War broke out, the abductee evacuated Seoul but soon returned home, worrying his family’s safety.
- His return was caught by a local leftist(communist) and informed to the Internal Affairs Agency and then he was arrested to Mapo Prison. No information about him was given since then.


Detail of the Abduction

Q. What did your father do when the Korean War broke out?
He worked as a chief of finance in a local agency of the Capitol Hall. His first job was an elementary school teacher, but he realized that he didn’t like teaching, so he altered his profession to a lawyer. Then he once again changed his profession to a public officer. He became a governor of Yeoncheon and Su-won in Gyeonggi-do. Around the time the Korean War broke out, he was in charge of the finance department of Capitol Hall. He was not involved in any organizations for rightist, anti-communist or any political activities.

Q. How was your father abducted?
He was abducted on August 7th in 1950, when I was 9 years old. I don’t remember things about the abduction but my mother witnessed the scene with her own eyes. My mother said that ‘the Reds (Communists)’ were all around us and my father was very worried about leaving his family in such a situation and he felt hesitated to evacuate Seoul alone himself, so he returned home soon. Indeed, the Reds were all around us. They kept watching us and caught my father’s return then informed his return to the Internal Affairs Agency. Officers from the Internal Affairs Agency came to our house and asked to meet my father, telling us that they have some things to ask him and took him to the Internal Affairs Agency. When he went out with them, he left his wallet and some belongings at home. I think he knew that he was being arrested and not going to be easily return. That was the last time my family saw him.
On the next day, my mother went to the Mapo Prison to see him and then she went there again the next day, and she went a few times more. But she just heard from the officers that he was transferred to another prison. She was never allowed to see him.

 
Reason behind the Abduction

Q. Why do you think he was abducted?
He worked for the Capitol Hall as a chief of finance and that seemed attracted the Communists who were seeking for useful people for their newborn nation.


News after the Abduction

Q. Any news after your father was abducted?
My mom tried very hard to find him back but no news was heard from nowhere. He was a chief officer of the finance department, so he had some acquaintances with high-ranking officials who’re capable of searching what happened to him. But nothing was done. They just said that neither they knew anything. It was very hard for my mother to accept such a devastating situation and she sometimes visited shamans to ask them when he could return home.