Only a few more days to submit reports
P.1, Chosun Daily, Aug. 2, 1956

Korean Red Cross began receiving reports on abductees from June 16 as a means of seeking the support of the International Red Cross. As of the end of July, approximately 5,200 people have made the list, which is to be sent to the International Red Cross. We do not know how many people have been disqualified or how those decisions were made. However, what we do know is that the issue of wartime abductions is very important and cannot be neglected. After Seoul was recaptured on September 28, more than 100,000 people were said to have been abducted. An organization composed of the families of civilian abductees announced that around 80,000 people had been taken to the North. What happened to the families of abductees after they were taken? Could the remaining family members still be living together? Certainly not: as the heads and breadwinners of the families had been taken to the North, many families were forced to separate to make their livings.
The abductees must be going through such difficulty and despair, but so are their family members. North Korea has left so many people devastated. Alongside slaughter and destruction, the abduction of civilians can be called one of the three major crimes committed by the North during the Korean War.
There is nothing we can do about the slaughter and destruction since they have already happened. But abduction is different. There is substantial evidence to suggest that the abductees are still alive. Therefore, we must try to bring them home, and at least the abductees' families should be informed of their fates and whereabouts. This is the purpose of receiving reports on abductees.
To meet this purpose, all family members must submit reports by August 15. If direct family members are separated or deceased, relatives or friends of the abductees can submit instead.
The Korean Red Cross must categorize the reports comprehensively. Irrespective of the standard according to which reports are to be sent over to the International Red Cross, studying the number of and information about abductees is critical since it will be useful to the country in the future. In summary, the families and friends of abductees must submit their reports as soon as possible, and the Korean Red Cross must organize these reports well.