Ministry of Unification promises KWAFU members to make the issue of Korean War abductees an agenda item for the South-North Dialogue

Dong-a Daily
Feb. 12, 2010


South Korean government is expected to propose addressing the issue of Korean War abductees and finding their fate in the South-North Dialogue. According to an official from the Ministry of Unification said on 11th, the Deputy Minister for Unification Policy Kim Cheon-sik made this promise at the meeting with the KWAFU members the previous day.”

Three KWAFU members including president Ms. Lee visited the Ministry of Unification on the 10th to ask for support in finding the fate of 100 Korean War abductees. They demanded that the abductees issue be made an agenda item for the summit meeting between the two Koreas and that President Lee Myung-bak mention the need to address the issue on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Korean War.

KWAFU members pointed out that the government has turned a blind eye to the issue of Korean War abductees who were taken during the war. They argued that the Unification Ministry only mentioned the list of 505 people who were abducted before and after the war, avoiding any comment on the Korean War abductees in its work report for this year.

The number of civilians abducted by the North during the war amounts to 82,959, according to the List of Korean War Abductees published by the government in 1952.

KWAFU also demanded the establishment of designated special task-force for the work on the abductees, but the idea was not accepted.