After Reading the List of Surviving Abductees
Nov. 20th 1957, 1st page of Dong-a Daily

Having received a list of 337 surviving abductees, we can again express only anger and hatred toward the communist party. The call through the International Red Cross for the communists to tell us at least whether the abductees are alive or not was a humanitarian cry representing the mournful hearts of the families left behind. Now that we have looked at the list, however, we have found it represents not even 1/20 of the 7,045 abductees and there is nothing said in detail about the majority of those public figures abducted. Indeed, even among the list of 337 there is no explanation whatsoever of where and how they are living. To be sure, hearing that their relatives are alive must be welcome news to the families at first, but they will be overtaken the next minute by the outpour of more pain and anger.

The abduction of non-combatant civilians was from the beginning a savage act by the communist party that overlooked humanity and the law. Despite the fact that the Armistice Agreement has a clear paragraph on displaced civilian exchanges, the communist party used the excuse that no one volunteered to return home to not send anyone back (they only sent 19 foreigners back). They continued to lie shamelessly that they had not abducted anyone. Further, not only did they continue such lies during the New Delhi International Red Cross General Assembly meeting, they even had the nerve to argue instead that it was the UN side that abducted hundreds of North Korean civilians.

Here, they seem to be talking about the countrymen who came down to South Korea of their own volition during the UN retreat. These were people who did not desire to live under communist dictatorship and escaped with the desire for freedom. Have the North Koreans forgotten this was a silent protest against communist politics? There were more than two million people who escaped from communist East Germany over 12 years, and the communist leaders of that country have admitted themselves that 220,000 people have escaped just over this year. It was surprising last year that almost 190,000 people came over to the free world after the Hungarian Revolution; it is even more surprising that a larger number of Germans are returning west to find freedom.

More than 800,000 refugees have come over to Free Vietnam from communist Vietnam, and these people are not refugees simply fleeing the ravages of war - they are public figures who have fled the dictatorship of the communists. The scholars, engineers, diplomats, writers, sailors, pilots and athletes who find the opportunity to escape from the USSR, Communist China, Czechoslovakia and other parts of the communist world surrounded by an iron fence are all looking for a haven of political freedom in the Free World. That the communists ignore such conspicuous facts and continue to intern the abductees, all the while pretending they have not volunteered to return, only shows the brutality of communist politics.

That the communist side used the International Red Cross to send a list of a small number of surviving abductees can be viewed several ways. It shows they may have bowed to the pressure of international sentiment. However, the fact they sent a list with only a small number of names - and without any insight into the abductees’ whereabouts and condition - makes it possible they are plotting to use them again in their political propaganda schemes. If the communist party has an ounce of self-respect, they should immediately send the 337 abductees they themselves have recognized back to their families. However, everyone knows the habits of the communist party, so no one is predicting that they will actually repatriate anyone with any haste.

As far as we know, a minority of the abductees have placed their names on the Committee for Peace and Unification. While there may be some among the abductees who have been brainwashed and fallen into the communist party line, the majority are probably being used under threat of bayonet or are suffering under dire living circumstances. This most devilish policy of hostage-taking destroys the dignity of humanity and ultimately binds together the history of dictatorship and totalitarianism which uses humans as political tools. In the name of civilization and humanitarianism we have not choice but to thoroughly condemn the savagery of such communists.

That such communist pirates attempt to nitpick by calling accidents by UN soldiers “indiscriminate shootings” is laughable. It is clear that the communists are trying to drive a wedge between the friendship of the US and South Korea. It is only natural that the American representative answered that “when an incident occurs the military authorities investigate it quickly and thoroughly, and using the results of the investigation adopt appropriate measures in accordance with military law.” The US and South Korea are continuing bilateral consultations to prevent incidents from occurring. There is no concern that such incidents could damage the friendship of allies of the Free World, and the communist’s strategy to drive a wedge between the two allies will fail.

We demand the immediate repatriation of surviving abductees. We also demand that the communist side immediately provide news on abductees not on the list. We hope that the day of freedom and liberation will come quickly to all our countrymen suffering under the brutal dictatorship in North Korea.