Rescue of the Korean War Abductees (Oct. 20, 1950)

<Source> National Archives & Records Administration

<Commentary>

    This is a directive from President Seung-man Rhee to the Minister of Defense ordering him to recover the abductees immediately after overtaking PyeongYang, the capital city of the DPRK   on Oct. 19, 1950, as a result of the ROK and the UN Forces' advance to the north, and it is the very first official ROK document where the existence of the Korean War abductees was recognized.

    President Seung-man Rhee, realizing that many people were abducted north during the DPRK’s three month occupation of Seoul, not only allowed families of the abductees to go north to   rescue abductees, but also directed the defense minister to render cooperation in this matter.   From this we can see that the government recognized the existence of South Korean abductees and understood the seriousness of the matter.

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