GYAE, GWANG-SOON

Source: (Monthly ShinDongA) June, 1970 Edition
Author: Gyae Gwang-soon (Then President of Korea Mining Promotion Corp.)
Published: Daily DongA
Date issued: June, 1970


People Who Were Abducted and Never Returned


- 27 Koreans, including myself, and six German and French missionaries, were taken to the PyeongYang Political Security Bureau on a cargo train tightly guarded by armed North Korean soldiers -

Gyae, Gwang-soon (Ex-President of Korea Mining Promotion Corp.)


It’s been 20years since the end of my 100 agonizing-days, which started on the day I was arrested by North Korean Internal Policemen, July 15, 1950, and taken to Seodaemun (West Gate) Prison, to Gaeseong, Sariwon and to PyeongYang Prison. I managed to escape from PyeongYang Prison on October 8, 1950 and safely returned to my house on October 24, after spending 18 days in the mountains on foot. I feel it necessary to tell the readers the reason why I was arrested in order for young people, Japanese students and journalists sympathetic to socialism and communism, without actual experience of what communism is like. It may be reasonable for students to sympathize communism because of the social environment and the cause of history.

It was my naive belief that personal freedom acquired as a result of liberation from feudalism evolved into democracy and democracy evolves into socialism is an unavoidable process. Because of this naivety, I had to face the Korean War without any precaution against Communist regime. Like the present day Japanese intellectuals and average citizens, it had never occurred to me that communists are different and, therefore, I never thought they would abduct an innocent person like me. That was the main reason why I was abducted, while the reason why I didn’t escape from Seoul was because of my miscalculation that the communist regime would not harm people who are politically neutral for their strategic purpose.


Suspicion Became Reality

I was taken to North Korean Voluntary Troop housed in a four-storied brick building behind the Pagoda Park on June 30, 1950. Commander, Yoo Eung-Ho, who had been freed from Seodaemun (West Gate) Prison by North Korean soldiers, was about to shoot me with his pistol pointed on my face in the morning the same day, when one of the young communist members stopped him, saying "That man hid me for 5 days in his house when I was an Internal Police Chief in Gangwon-do and I would like to take care of him." I was saved, dramatically. The next day, July 1, the commander told me that if I could find an influential comrade, I could be bailed out. My wife, who was desperately looking for me, bravely came to this building housing North Korean Voluntary Troop taking a chance of finding me. Once, a young man named Lee Myung-Yong, originally from Gyungbuk province in South Korea, was arrested by the South Korean police after he had been sent to South by the North Korean regime as an activist before the Korean War and was facing execution. Just before the execution, at the request from Mr. Lee Choong-Young (a junior to me from the Tokyo Imperial University), I met with Mr. Lee Ho, the chief of the National Police Headquarters, and Mr. Lee Ha-Young, the intelligent affairs chief, to ask for favor of releasing the man. I asked my wife to find Lee Choong-Young and ask him to provide a bailsman for me, but he refused to do that, saying that North Korean Voluntary Troop would not bail him out for he is considered a betrayer. While I was in despair, Mr. Kim Jung Jae, a low-ranking public official when I was a high-ranking government official, came in and asked for my release. Kim Jeong-Jae had been under detention for suspicion of being a member of the South Labor Party during the time the Second National Assembly election was underway. He was freed by the North Korean Army on June 25, 1950. Upon hearing the information from Mr. Lee Choong-Young, he came there to release me. This way, I was saved on July 5, 1950 in the evening.

Near public toilet behind Pagoda Park, odor from decaying corpses spreaded all over the place. They had been killed by communists. I dreaded at the thought that I could have been like that had I not been saved on June 30. I visited Kim Jung Jae at his house in Wonseo-dong on July 6. He didn’t have rice nor money to buy it. He depended on insubstantial meal of pumpkin gruel. Thanking him, I came back. Immediately, I put some rice in a backpack with some money hidden in the rice and went back to his house and gave it to his oldest son. Three days later, Kim visited me to thank me in appearance, but really to give me an important advice. He said “I have been called by the Dongdaemun Police and I am going there tomorrow. I am not sure of my own safety. Use your own discretion for yourself,” which I thought meant escape. I thought the best I could was hiding myself somewhere in the city until the US troop arrives. Having finished my breakfast at dawn, I sneaked out of my house through the back door in work clothes and came back home in the afternoon. I repeated this several times until I was caught by two so-called Voluntary Troop soldiers at the dawn of July 15, who requested my company to their office. Although they promised that I would be released in 20 minutes after signing some registration papers, I couldn't trust them. After 2-hours detention in their office, I was sent to Political Security Bureau in Samhwa building, where I was interrogated and after which I was dragged into the basement of the National Library building.

The following day, a young examiner from Preliminary Examination Section came and shouted at me "Hey you, are you the Mr. Gyae Gwang-soon, who enjoyed the position of a section chief of the Japanese Government-General?" No sooner had I said "yes" than a dignified old man stood up and said, "I am Jeon Young-Pil. I am here because I served the Korea's Independence Promotion Movement as the chief of its Ulsan branch. Before the Liberation from the Japanese Occupation of Korea, I was engaged in the independence movement. Although it is my first time to meet Mr. Gyae in person, I know him well from the days when he in charge of internal affairs in the Gangwon Provincial government, during which he even risked defying Japanese police to help his fellow Koreans. May I ask why is he here?" The young examiner, after listening what Mr. Jeon said and going through my personal history papers, changed completely and said to me rather regretfully, "If that is true, why did you not surrender yourself. We could have saved you." I said I did not know what surrender would mean. He took me to "surrender" section, where I met several people of acquaintance, including layer Kang Se-hyung and Baek Cheol. I also witnessed that many of them were really released in 24 hours. However, I was not one of them. I asked one examiner why I am not released. He said my photo is needed. With permission, I went home and returned to the same place with two photos of mine after comforting my aged mother that I should be back soon. Handing them my photos, I asked them to release me quickly. My dear readers, you can laugh at me for my being so absurd and naive. I was completely ignorant about communists and their deceitfulness.

July 18 came. One officer came to and told me to gather all my belongings and come out. I was happy that examination of me was over and I would be finally released. Those still detained in the same cell asked me to telephone their houses for them. But the officer took me not to the hallway but upstairs. Still, I thought "Maybe they are going to give a lecture before release. After all, I should also express my thanks to them, too." The men, without looking at me, pushed me into the room through a back door, where I found my friend again, who I thought had been released. When I thought that strange, it was too late. The door was locked from outside. I was completely deceived. One of the Political Security Bureau officer said "I'm sorry we don't have much space here. You will be here only for one week, after which you will be sent to a hotel, where you can enjoy reading and meeting your families. Those with good record will be released. Even a well-known person detained with us said "A high-ranking former police officer, Choi, Kyung-jin, was sent to Victory Hotel yesterday and we should just wait."

One July 24, a bus was waiting for us. We all thought we were going to a hotel, finally. However, the bus did not take us to a hotel but to the Seodaemun (West Gate) Prison via Chongno, Gwanghwamun and Seodaemun. In the cell I was in were former police officers and some members of Northwest Youth Corp.


Chunwon (well-known novelist) was treated well in a solitary cell receiving rice for meal

On July 29, in the evening, they ordered Mr. Chang Hee-Chang (Yonsei University professor, Vice Minister of Finance), Mr. Oh, a Constitutional National Assemblyman (concurrently a public doctor for Changwon county) and myself to come out. We thought we were separated for release from others such as police officers and members of Northwest Younth Corps. The remaining people asked us to deliver notes to their families. Outside the cell, we waited for our belts and shoes, which had been kept in the custody of the prison but the guard shouted at us "We don’t have time. Move quickly with without belts and shoes." I thought, "Oh, we are going to be sent to another place. Whatever is going to happen will happen." In front of the prison gate were several people already. Among them, 33 in all, were 27 Koreans, including Mr. Ok Sun-Jin, a prosecutor, Mr. Kang Soo-Chang, a police bureau director, Mr. Cha Yoon-Hong, a Health Ministry bureau director, Mr. Pak Myung-Jin, a National Police commissioner, Mr. Moon Jak-Ji, a former county chief, Mr. Oh Yong-Bang, President of Konkuk Youth Corp., Mr. Kim Bong-Ho, a former police director, and 6 German and French missionaries. A bus carried us all to the Seoul Station, where we loaded on a cargo train tightly guarded by armed North Korean soldiers.

We arrived at Gaesung Juvenile Prison on July 30 in the morning. On August 1, we were taken to Sariwon Internal Police cell, where we were detained for two days. On August 4 at dawn, we were taken to PyeongYang Political Security Bureau, where the foreigners were separated from us. Rest of us were imprisoned in a 3-pyong (1pyong=36 square feet) cell in the old PyeongYang Prison. We shared this tiny cell with others including Messrs. Choi Rin, Lee Kwang-Soo, Baek Gwan-Woo, Bang Ung-Mo, Kim Dong-Won, Kim Han-Kyu, Choi Kyung-Jin, Kang Gi-Moon, Kang Byung-Ok, Suh Sang-Chun, Lee Hae-Chang, Myung Jae-Se, Kim Hyo-Suk, Chang Chul-Soo, Ko Bong-Kyung and Kim Gwi (a labor uion leader). I was really surprised, above all, to find Mr. Kim Jeong-Jae there, who had been detained before we got there. I was again surprised to find Mr. Choi Kyung-Jin, a one-time deputy police chief but who defended Lee Joo-Ha, an arrested major communist espionage in South Korea, when he was a practicing lawyer. He, therefore, did not bother to take refuge in Busan but surrendered and was supposed to be staying at the "Victory Hotel."

The most difficult thing we had was half starvation. We were given a meal half the size of a fist, mixed with rice, bean and millet. We heard, however, only Chunwon (Lee Kwang-Soo's pen name) was given full rice meal in his solitary cell. I chewed the mixed meal 100 times before swallowing it to get most of it. I was reduced to a skeleton. My legs were as skinny as those of a bird. I am certain most of abductees fell due to malnutrition. We were also very thirsty as we got only half cup of water with the breakfast. When we were assigned with job of cleaning the toilet, we got some water. I used to volunteer taking excrement container. I found some rainwater left in a pit in the yard. I lied down to drink the rainwater. I didn't even get sick. Maybe the tension I was under was too great for me to get sick. Each night, we were taken out and tortured. I was beaten several times for no reason, which I could bear but when I saw Mr. Choi Rin, a 70-year old man, being kicked so hard that he fell down and urinated out of shock., I couldn't help protesting the person only to be slapped in the face once again. Since then, I had to do only what I was told to do.

In order to avoid torture, I had to exaggerate my faults. Apparently, the recorded exaggeration became too great. A few days later, a different bureau official said that I had to be reexamined for the reported record of my crime was too much. I insisted that it was not needed. The man, however, guaranteed freedom of voice, saying "What we are after is only the truth. You have to make it clear." I said "All right. I will be honest. The Korea who worked for the Japanese government-general in the colonial Korea can be categorized into three groups; 80% of them worked for the government-general simply to earn bread. The ruined country should be responsibility for that rather than these Korean employees. The other 10% consisted of those who made ways in life at the sacrifice of their own people, the Koreans, such as being informers or being harsh to the Koreans. Often they were uneducated people and in low positions in the police or something. They deserve punishment. The remaining 10% accounted for those who passed higher civil service examination with college education, and they were the ones who legitimately advocated the interest of the Korean people. Mssers. Lee Chang-Kun, Moon Jak-Ji, Kim Bong-Ho, Chang Chul-Soo and Kim Jeong-Jae are the ones who promoted the interest of the Korean people, not troubling them. I see no reason why they should be maltreated. Please condone them and punish severely only the bad ones." At my assertion, he left without reexamining me.


Two Unforgettable Benefactor

In the night of August 25, they took the former government officials, Messrs. Moon Jak-Ji, Lee Chang-Kun, Kim Bong-Ho, Chang Chul-Soo, Kim Jeong-Jae and myself on a truck to Junghwa county crossing the Daedong River. We had to lower our heads while a light machine gun guarded us. When we arrived at so-called "People's School," which had only three classrooms, we found that Messrs. Myung Jae-Se, Suh Sang-Chun, Kim Bong-Ho and Kim Jeong-Jae had arrived there already. I also found Mr. Kim Hyo-Suk on the floor bound with a rope. No sooner had I arrived there than I was taken to an examination room. The judge, a handsome-looking full-colonel with glasses, in formal military uniform with golden shoulder badges of rank, seemed an intellectual. On each side of him was a Lt. colonel and a major. The judge asked me, "Mr. Gyae, what's your feeling? Tell me what you have in your mind, honestly." It was the first time for me to be called by "Mr." I replied, "How do you expect me in this condition to tell you how I feel? If you are going to kill me, do it quickly. Don't make it complicated." "Who said you are going to be killed? If we planned to kill you, we wouldn't have taken the trouble of bringing you all the way here. I know you very well. You were born in Pyungbuk province, graduated from the Tokyo University and was an official of the Japanese Government-General Office in Korea. Know that giving you more opportunities to repeatedly state your personal history is a special treatment to give you greater hope. Therefore, it’s to your disadvantage if you sat that you don’t have any thoughts regarding this."

Who could this colonel be. Could he be one of my University junior. In any case he is kind to me. In sanity, I answered. "I am sorry." Then the Lt. colonel said "A man with your career, why did you work for the Japanese government? You could have been of great help to the people. However, it’s not too late. According to our revised law, the judge is given authority to sentence former pro-Japanese criminals at his will." It seemed a gesture of a favor to me. "Tell me how you, a well-known government official, succeeded as a hoarder after the liberation." I said "I first thought of becoming a farmer, but as my hometown is in North Korea, I couldn’t go back. So, to feed my nine dependents, I did some hoarding. I rented a government-owned mine and earned some money with miners." "Did you exploit them a lot?" "No, I didn't pay them wages. Instead, I bought a bag of rice everyday for them. When we found gold I shared it with them. This provided them rice every month and once each of them received 250,000 won per month as bonuses when we hit the gold. The manager of the mine made only 50 thousand won a month, while the miners made 10 time the manager's wage. I dare say that even Russian miners did not make that much. I was honest in running business under the South Korean economic system." "That's exactly the enemy way of thinking. According to the information from our spies, it is true that Taechang miners did earn 450,000 won a month one time but know that the benefits provided by the capitalists can only paralyze workers' revolution-consciousness. Such thing as labor-management cooperation an enemy's deception, so be careful to talk like that."

On Aug. 27, as they were about to begin the examination again, three American airplanes appeared and shot the People's School. The colonel in formal union hid himself under a desk and I put myself up against a wall to save myself. The shooting ended leaving one internal policeman wounded. The colonel and I exchanged an uneasy smile. It was smile from a man to another man after being in the same fate. We felt close each other. It was early in September and the weather was chilly in PyeongYang. We slept on the classroom floor in our summer shirts without blankets. I didn't even have socks as I arrived barefooted. Finally, I began to suffer from diarrhea. Intestinal catarrh turned into a dysentery. They let us use the toilet only at 6am, 1pm and 7pm. I had to relieve myself sitting on the floor. The classroom stank. There was no toilet paper Fearing infection to others, they moved me to a farmhouse. There was no medicine. I thought I would end up my life this way. Fortunately, Mr. Kim Byung-Kyu, the owner of this house, an old man, gave me a bowl of radish kimchi to treat my illness. That stopped my mucous discharge. He saved my life.

Encounter of UN Soldiers at Seoheung

Around September 23, I was moved to a Lt. Yoon’s house in Janggun village and rested under the guard of him and his wife. His wife was a kind woman, who would give me even some eggs. On October 7, Lt. Yoon said "We will be going to Jagang province and I want you to come along with us." As was about to enter the headquarters office of Political Security Bureau in PyeongYang after crossing the Daedong River bridge, a young man in shirt said "Yoon, he is sick so don't bother bringing him. I will take care of him." Then the young man came to me. On second look, I realized he was the same colonel. I followed him and we came back to Janggoon village, crossing the Daedong River bridge again. When we came to a major road, the colonel said "You go back to Yoon’s house. I will contact you tomorrow by 11 o’clock," offering a goodbye hand-shake. He then said "Take care. If you have any trouble, contact Division 3 of Political Security Bureau in Jagang province." Then he disappeared in to the dark.

There was nobody in Yoon’s house. I realized what the colonel tried to tell me I left Janggun village with Kim Bong-Ho who was sick in the next door. We waited for the UN troops for 3days, sleeping in corn fields and hiding ourselves in a house with a charcoal pit. When we met the UN troops in Seoheung, we were so relieved but we could not walk any more because of the relaxation from the tension. The troops while advancing north could not help us. We continued walking and reached Gaesung police station via Sinmak and Pyoungsan and Chungdan on October 20, where we stayed for 2 days. In the afternoon of October 23, we found a military cargo train arriving from Gaesung South Gate transporting spoils of war, which took us to Seodaemun in Seoul at 1am on October 24. I took Mr. Kim to his house Soosong-dong and I returned home in Gahoe-dong at around 3am. It was a miracle true that I came back home alive after 100 days but I can never forget the favor given by the chief of the Division 3 of Political Security Bureau (?). Political Security Bureau is in complete veil and you can never know the names of its officers. Once I had a chance to ask his name but instead of giving me his name, he just said "You know Mr. Lee Dong-Hwan well in South Korea, don't you?" Later, I asked Mr. Lee (a former minister at Korean legation in Australia) about him.

He told me that he was the one who arrested for ideological reason while I was director of Industry Dept. of Gangwon province. Mr. Lee and his brother asked me to ask the provincial police chief to release the young man. He was born in Tongcheon and graduated from the prestigious Dong-a-dongmoon School in Shanghai, China. I wonder if he has been able to avoid a purge. I wish him a good health.