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Mar.12, 2010 - the Act Passed after 7 Years
Name: admin
2014-01-14 10:30:02  |  Hit 1089
¡°Now is the time to resolve the abductees¡¯ issue, forgotten for 60 years, and comfort their deep sorrow.¡±

The Act on Investigating Abductions by North Korea during the Korean War and Restoring Honor to the Victims finally passed
after 7 years¡¯ deferment, thanks to Ms. Lee's devotion.

Chosun Daily,
Mar. 12, 2010


Lee Mi-il (60), President of the Korean War Abductee's Family Union (KWAFU), often sang an old song, ¡°Miari Hill of Sadness,¡± when overwhelmed by the loss of her father. His name was Lee Seong-hwan and he owned a brassware factory in Cheongnyangni, Seoul, before his abduction. He was abducted by the North Korean Army at the beginning of the war in September 1950.

On the 2nd, Ms. Lee heard the joyful news that the Act on Investigating Abductions by North Korea during the Korean War and Restoring Honor to the Victims had passed the National Assembly.

Ms. Lee has worked for the passage of the Act since 2003 as the president of KWAFU, which was founded in 2000. She also held panel discussions and published 2,000 page Korean War Abduction Sourcebooks which collected the stories of the abductees and relevant sources and information.

According to the government data in 1952, the number of South Korean civilians who were abducted by the North amounted to 82,959.

Ms. Lee said, ¡°The implementation of the Act has been pursued since the 16th National Assembly in 2003, but it was automatically scrapped because there had been no progress by the end of the 17th National Assembly. But 7 years of effort has finally paid off.¡±

She also said with a sigh, ¡°The KWAFU office in Cheonnayngni is located at the very sight where my father¡¯s factory stood. When I first started activities for the abductees in 2000 with the foundation of KWAFU, my father would have been 79 years old if he was still alive in the North. More than 10 years have passed since then.¡±

The centerpiece of the Act is the establishment of the National Committee on Investigating Abductions by North Korea during the Korean War and Restoring Honor to the Victims under Prime Minister and commemoration projects for the victims.

Individual compensation for the abductees and their families were not included in the Act. Instead, more focus was on investigating abductions by North Korea and restoring honor to the victims. In addition, budget support is available for organizations that consist of the abductees¡¯ families.

Ms. Lee said, ¡°Restoring honor to the victims and compensation is only possible after the truth about the North Korean abductions is revealed. But the government¡¯s attitude has been disappointing. It says that, with no law specifically addressing the issue, no investigation is possible.¡±
  List  
No
Title
Name
Date
Hit
52 Nov. 5, 2010 - N.K. Holds Victims to Ransom
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14-01-14 1302
51 Nov.3,2010-Visits National Assembly Chairman
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14-01-14 1341
50 Nov. 2, 2010 - Flying balloons with letters
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14-01-14 1119
49 Nov.1,2010 -International Conference was Held
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14-01-14 3237
48 Jun.8, 2010- DNA Samples of Family Collected
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14-01-14 1231
47 Jun.7,2010- North Korean Defector's Testimony
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14-01-14 1263
46 Apr. 30, 2010 - Event to Recite the Names
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14-01-14 1128
45 Mar.12, 2010 - the Act Passed after 7 Years
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14-01-14 1088
44 Feb.24,2010 - After 60 years, tears ran dry
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14-01-14 1127
43 Feb.12, 2010 - Agenda for the Summit Dialogue
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14-01-14 1187
42 Oct.9, 2009 - Writer Lee Kwang-soo, abductee
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14-01-14 1088
41 Sep.15,2009- KWAFU Publishes Sourcebook Vol.2
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14-01-14 1124
40 Feb. 20, 2009 - Discovery of a list
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14-01-13 1178
39 Oct. 24, 2008 - Rodong Sinmun Blames KWAFU
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14-01-07 1084
38 Oct. 24, 2008- Rodong: Outrageous Fabrication
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14-01-07 1150
37 Oct. 10, 2008 - Those Systematical Abductions
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14-01-07 1163
36 May 16, 2008- Abduction Aimed Destroying S.K.
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14-01-07 1108
35 Sept. 29, 2007 - A Memo in Pyongyang Prison
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14-01-07 1153
34 Aug.31, 2007 - Foolish Anti-DPRK Campaign
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14-01-07 1099
33 Aug.24,2007- Highlight Victims of Abductions
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14-01-07 1201
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