UN Should Solve Abductee Issue
November 12, 1955, Chosun Daily Front Page Editorial


1. The comments made by U.S. Representative Brostein during discussions on the Korea question in the UN Political Committee and the news that six U.S. military veteran groups decided to petition the UN about the Korea question has drawn our considerable attention. Brostein said during the committee meeting that there are still 41,000 South Koreans held in North Korea who should have been repatriated by the Armistice Agreement two years ago, and the six American veterans groups agreed to request the UN to conduct an investigation into the communist army’s brutal actions during the Korean War.

It is already well-known that not one single abducted person has returned, the majority of South Korean POWs are still being held in North Korea forced labor camps, and that the communist pirates committed historically unprecedented brutal acts during the Korean War. Both the South Korean and American governments have publicly stated these facts, and there are many people who are clearly aware of this, including those who experienced the war like us and the UN soldiers. However, it is no small matter of regret that the UN has not made an issue of North Korea’s crimes and illegal actions.

If the UN’s fundamental goal is to extinguish such crimes and illegal actions from the face of the earth and bring peace and happiness to humankind, it must reveal the communists’ complete criminality during the Korean War and continue to investigate all the inhuman and illegal acts the communists commit. If these facts are buried or ignored, crime and illegal acts will flood throughout the world, so we cannot help but feel unsure when human welfare will improve and when world peace will be realized.

2. The two issues of abductees and the detainment of South Korean POWs were discussed during the armistice negotiations, and it is clear that all should have been repatriated with the signing of the Armistice Agreement. Despite the passage of two years since the Armistice Agreement was signed, the communists have shown no intention of returning them. Recently, the Soviet Union and Communist China have taken actions that make it appear they want contact with the free world.

This phenomenon can be shown by the appearance of the East-West contact issue during the fourth Geneva Conference and the ongoing ambassador-level meetings between the U.S. and Communist China. The Soviet Union is currently repatriating German POWs and has said it will repatriate a small number of Japanese POWs as well. Communist China has repatriated the aforementioned American pilot and is currently releasing American civilians.

Of course, the communist’s intention is not based on humanitarian grounds but is aimed at fulfilling their many desires in return for repatriating hostages they find useless. This also explains why the north Korean puppet regime is continuing to intern abductees and South Korean soldiers - to use them as hostages. We, however, do not desire any direct negotiations with them.

We believe it is natural that the UN should work to solve the issue. This is because the Korean War was fought under the name of the UN, and because the UN is the world’s only body of peace. If UN Secretary-General Hammarskjold believes it is natural for the American pilot to be released, he should also think it is natural for the UN to work for the release of South Korean abductees and interned soldiers. Moreover, we believe, just as the American veterans groups have proposed, that the criminal acts committed by the communists during the war should be investigated. The UN must understand that it cannot regard good and evil in the same light