Families, human rights groups voice anger and despair, calling on president to give detainee cases his full, immediate attention
The presidential office on Thursday pledged to seek a resolution for nationals detained in North Korea by pressing for the prompt resumption of inter-Korean dialogue.
The commitment followed President Lee Jae Myung’s comment during Wednesday's press conference that he had been "unaware" of the detainee cases — a remark that drew anger and despair from the families of those held in North Korea as well as from North Korean human rights groups.
The presidential office confirmed that “six nationals, including three North Korean defectors, are believed to have been detained between 2013 and 2016 on charges including espionage” in a statement.
“The suffering of our people caused by the division of the country continues, as inter-Korean dialogue and exchanges have long been suspended, and the matter is in urgent need of resolution,” the presidential office said. “This issue will be addressed through efforts to swiftly resume inter-Korean dialogue, based on a national consensus.”
The six detainees include missionaries Kim Jung-wook, who was arrested by North Korean authorities in 2013, and Kim Kook-kie and Choi Chun-gil, each arrested separately in 2014.
‘Despair, helplessness — and anger’
Speaking at the Wednesday news conference, Lee had said, “This happened a very long time ago, so I lack detailed information on each individual case. I will look further into the situation and make a judgment afterward.”
Lee made the remarks when asked whether he had a message for the families of those detained in North Korea and what efforts he would make for their release.
“Honestly, the moment I saw it, I felt despair and helplessness — and anger, too. I just couldn’t believe it,” Choi Jin-young, the son of Choi Chun-gil, told The Korea Herald, referring to Lee’s admission.
“It felt like all my efforts for my father's release suddenly vanished into thin air.”
Choi Jin-young had been at the forefront of raising the issue publicly, including at a UN event on North Korean human rights, in line with enhanced efforts by the Unification Ministry under the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration, such as the launch of a task force dedicated to the issue under the direct auspices of the unification minister.
“The government is the only entity we can rely on to bring my father home. Whenever any form of inter-Korean dialogue opens, it’s not human rights groups, but the government that must take the lead in resolving the issue,” Choi said, stressing that the Lee administration has an indispensable role in resolving the matter.
“What I want to say is this: I hope the government gives this issue the highest possible level of attention and uses every diplomatic channel available to confirm whether my father is alive.”
A Unification Ministry official on Thursday said on condition of anonymity that the South Korean government “has not confirmed whether the detainees are alive or dead.”
Kim Geum-hyok, a North Korean defector and former policy adviser to Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs Park Min-shik, told The Korea Herald, “First and foremost, I must say that I am appalled.
"The fact that our citizens were illegally detained in North Korea through luring and abduction has long been a well-known issue, yet the president saying he was entirely unaware of it is deeply troubling.”
Criticism of Lee's N. Korea policy
Kang Dong-wan, a Dong-A University professor who has long worked on North Korean issues, including human rights, pointed out that the president's lack of awareness about the matter "suggests there is a fundamental problem in the direction of the government’s North Korea policy.”
“A peaceful coexistence policy that forsakes the lives of our own citizens is something that cannot be justified,” Kang told The Korea Herald, referring to the core of the Lee administration's North Korea policy.
Lee Young-hwan, founder and executive director of the Transitional Justice Working Group, stressed that the Lee Jae Myung administration “should establish a presidential commission dedicated to the repatriation of South Korean prisoners of war, abductees and detainees.”
“Having such a committee under the president’s direct authority makes it possible to ensure the issue is included on the formal agenda when inter-Korean talks begin,” Lee Young-hwan told The Korea Herald.
The executive director noted that the previous liberal Moon Jae-in administration, despite holding two inter-Korean summits in 2018, failed to address the issue at leader-level summits.
The Unification Ministry disclosed that the detainee issue had been raised during the June 2018 inter-Korean high-level talks. However, no follow-up measures were discussed at two subsequent high-level talks in August and October that year.
Such a whole-of-government framework — involving the Unification Ministry, the Ministry of National Defense and other relevant agencies — is essential for effective resolution of the matter, according to executive director Lee.
“If the president sets up a commission under his direct authority, we can take that as a sign that he is willing to make up for this embarrassing situation,” he said. “If the president himself shows no interest, who else in the administration is going to take this on?”
dagyumji@heraldcorp.com
