Foreign Minister Byeon Comments on Abduction Issue: Astounding Cruelty against Humanity by the Enemy
(Mar. 10, 1954, Dong-A Daily, 7th column of 2nd page)

Foreign Minister Byeon remarked in a statement released yesterday that no matter how extreme the cruelty of the Communists might be, the fact that not a single abducted South Korean returned during the recent exchange of civilians was very hard to fathom. The contents of the foreign minister’s statement are as follows.

We were greatly hoping the Communists would send (them) back (if only) as a way of saving face as the “democratic people” they consider themselves to be. But the Communists only permitted 19 abducted foreign civilians to return to the South. As of now the Communists have not freed even one of the abducted South Korean civilians from their forced detention.

The abductees still overwhelmingly yearn to see their beloved families even just once before they die; meanwhile their trapped bodies wither away.