Dr. Marcel Juneau moves forward with
Letter exchange between abductees and their families
P.1, Dong-A Daily, Aug. 27, 1960


Dr. Marcel Juneau, Vice President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), had a 30-minute meeting with Jeong Il-hyeong, Minister for Foreign Affairs, on the morning of the 26th. Choi Du-seon, President of the Korean Red Cross, also participated in the meeting. An insider said that two key issues were discussed in the meeting: i) the South Korean government’s negative position on the repatriation of Korean-Japanese to North Korea; and ii) the possibility of exchanging letters between the abductees and their families.

Dr. Marcel Juneau declined to answer reporters' questions, but reliable sources said that the International Red Cross expressed a willingness to make a global effort to seek a way to exchange letters with the abductees, in line with Article 25 of the International Red Cross Convention.

About the South Korean government's request to put off the extension of the Calcutta Agreement, Dr. Marcel Juneau said that he could not give political support but fully understood the strong opposition of the South Korean government and its people to the repatriation of Korean-Japanese to the North. He promised moral support on the issue when he returns to the headquarters in Geneva.

The exchange of letters with abductees under Article 25 of the International Red Cross Convention will begin with the submission of letters of 25 words or less to the International Red Cross, which will deliver them to recipients in North Korea. The whole process will take about 6-8 months. The South Korean government and the Korean Red Cross should decide whether to initiate this exchange.