『He Is Alive』“Justice was the beginning of the tragedy”
(No. 2) Dong-A Daily, Feb. 22, 1952
Abducted on his way home

Mrs. Yang (Yang Me-rin): After Seoul had fallen into the hands of the enemy, my family, including my husband, went through all kinds of hardships. My husband managed to hide himself for about two months amidst anxiety and fear. However, he was captured by Security Bureauofficerson August 23. They took him away by car. He never came home.

Mrs. Lee (Lee Jeong-sun): My husband was about to leave Korea for an inspection tour of the U.S. However, the Korean War broke out and Seoul fell into the hands of North Korea. Unable to leave Seoul, he hid in different places, moving from one to another. From July 6, we didn’t hear any news about him. I later found out that Internal Bureau officers had taken him while he was staying in Nagwon-dong.

Mrs. An (Kim Bu-rye): We crossed the Han River and fled to Si-heung. But we moved back to Seoul after Security Bureau officers found out about our location. My husband read books under surveillance in our house in Donam-dong. He had faith that theUN Coalition Forces would soon recapture Seoul. Now that I think of it, I regret it greatly. My husband was taken on September 24, when UN Coalition Forces had made their way to Yeongdeung-po, a southern district of Seoul. If only he had hidden in a hideout for a few days, this tragedy would never have happened.

Mrs. Hyeon (Baek Suk-ryang): My husband hid in one of his church member’s homes in Insa-dong for about a month. He was taken away by Internal Bureau officers at 2 a.m. on July 26. I never saw his face again after that.

Mrs. Gang (Park Ok-chul): My husband managed to hide for about a month, but was abducted in Jeong-neung on July 27.

Mrs. Park (Yu Song-juk): A letter was brought from my husband at 10 a.m. on June 27, which said that we needed to be ready for the worst-case scenario. According to the Fisheries Bureau employee who delivered the letter, my husband said he would drive a company jeep to our home so that we could escape. However, he changed his mind and decided not to flee because he could not leave his 60 subordinates and their families behind. His strong sense of justice ended up visiting tragedy upon his family and himself. He disguised himself and moved from one hiding place to another. However, on July 24three Internal Bureau officers who had been following him moved in.

Mrs. Park (Kim Yeong-ae): My husband went out early in the morning and came home late at night. Now that I think of it, I wonder how he managed to do that. It must have been extremely difficult. Even amid anxiety and fear, my husband held onto the shreds of hope. However, around 1 p.m. on August 8, he was taken away by two Security Bureau officers.

Moderator: I see. But wasn’t there any way to escape? Were you not able to find a hideout in safer places by closely watching the movements of the North Koreans? Mrs. Lee, please tell us about this.

Mrs. Lee (Lee Jeong-sun): After the North Korean Army captured Seoul, we closely watched the situation. We soon realized that it would take quite a long time for the ROK Army to return. My husband decided to hide for a while. But one day he decided to come home to check on his family. It was on that day that he was caught in the street. I guess he was very unlucky.

Mrs. Yang (Yang Me-rin): My husband was sick in bed. They came and took him to their car. There was nothing we could do about it.

Mrs. Gu (Park In-suk): My husband was chased for more than a month but ended up getting sick. By the time of his abduction, he could not even walk properly. He couldn’t put on his shoeswhen they dragged him away, so he was taken barefoot.

Mrs. Hyeon (Baek Suk-ryang): My husband was hiding in the house of one of his church members in Insa-dong. The house was very small and there was not much space in which to hide. When Internal Bureau officers came at 2 a.m., my husband hid in a wardrobe, but was soon found and taken.