The DPRK has kidnapped and/or imprisoned large numbers of South Korean citizens from the beginning of the Korean War until today — by some estimates 100,000 or more people. The DPRK denies it has abducted anyone or kept South Korean POWs after the end of the war. It is , however, now willing to discuss “missing persons during the war time.” South Koreans kidnapped after the war, if still under North Korean control, state they defected or were “rescued” by the DPRK. North Korea also captured citizens from other countries; they have mostly been Japanese, but hapless victims were obtained from as far away as Lebanon. They have been used for purposes such as espionage and language training. It has also been suggested the DPRK, which coupled foreign captives and defectors of various backgrounds, has planned to breed non-Asian spies. For more information on Koreans abucted during the war, visit the Korean War Abductees Family Union (KWAFU): (Their Washington, DC rep, “June,” is first rate if you need help). See a 2006 U.S. State Department cable on the subject, revealed by WikiLeaks, below. Abducted South Koreans in North Korea (from Association of Families/KINU)![]() |
Spies![]() ![]() ![]() ¶3. (U) Kim Young-nam’s abduction case has brought renewedattention to North Korea’s past kidnappings of South Koreancitizens after the Korean War. According to officialstatistics, a total of 3,790 people have been abducted by theNorth subsequent to the Korean War. Of these, 3,298 (87percent) have safely returned to the ROK as a result ofnegotiations facilitated by the Korean National Red Cross.An additional seven have escaped the North, six of whom arecurrently living in the South. At present, the ROKgovernment believes 485 post-war abductees remain detained inthe DPRK. (NOTE: There is also a significant number ofKorean War abductees who were forcibly taken to the Northduring the Korean War. Estimates range as high as 84,532,though a total of 7,034 people are registered as missing inthe 1956 list compiled by the Korean National Red Cross. ENDNOTE.). ¶4. (U) Post-war abductee cases generally fall into threecategories. Approximately 90 percent of abductees areidentified as ROK fishermen. Beginning with the firstkidnapping incident in 1955, North Korea has abducted a totalof 3,692 fishermen, 434 of whom currently remain detained inthe North. The last fishing boat abduction incident was inMay 1995, when North Korean Coast Guards seized eightfishermen aboard the “No. 86 Woosung-ho.” Three of theWoosung-ho crewmen were killed during a violent struggle withtheir abductors. The rest of the crew was released throughPanmunjeom in December 1995. ¶5. (U) A majority of abduction incidents occurred whilefishermen were in or near North Korean territorial waters inthe West and East Seas. According to the testimony of LeeJae-geun, an abducted fisherman who escaped to the South in2000, DPRK officials interrogated the crewmen of abductedfishing boats in sessions that could last up to severalmonths. While screening out possible spies, the NorthKoreans would pick those who were either physically fit orhad a high level of education for “special training”; theseindividuals would not be released with the rest of the crewat the conclusion of the interrogation process. ¶6. (U) There have also been “special case” abductionsinvolving a Korean Airline plane hijacking incident in 1969,a Navy I-2 boat abduction incident in 1970, and the abductionof two South Korean Coast Guards in 1974. Of the 51 peopleaboard the Korean Airline flight, 12 people (four crewmembers, eight passengers) were prevented from returning backto the South. The DPRK has refused to release any of thecrewmen on the Navy I-2 boat, as well as the two Coast Guardscaptured in 1974. ¶7. (U) Finally, there are snatching incidents, such as thecase of Kim Young-nam, in which ROK nationals have beengrabbed from either ROK territory or abroad and taken to theDPRK. There have been five known cases of ROK nationalsbeing abducted by North Korean secret agents from withinSouth Korea. All of the five victims were high schoolstudents kidnapped between the years of 1977 and 1978 by DPRKagents, and all were kidnapped from the beach; none have beenrepatriated. ¶8. (U) A total of 20 ROK nationals have been abducted inthird countries by North Korean agents. Before thenormalization of ROK-PRC diplomatic relations in 1992, mostof the abductions were carried out in Europe, where NorthKorean agents had relatively easy access to South Koreancitizens studying, working, or traveling in Europe. The mostrecent cases have all taken place in China, however, as thenumber of South Koreans traveling to China increased afterthe normalization of ROK-PRC relations. ¶9. (U) Twelve of the 20 overseas abduction victims currentlyremain detained in North Korea. The list of detaineesinclude: a former Labor Attach at the ROK Embassy in WestGermany (and his family), Lee Jae-hwan (son of formerpolitician Lee Young-wook), and the well-known (and the lastreported DPRK overseas abduction) case of Rev. Kim Dong-shik. Three of the overseas snatching victims have managed toescape. |