"Keep the Union Students from South Korea", ordered Kim Jong-Il`s Aide

Recently, one of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il’s aides ordered the officials of the union of North Korean immigrants in Japan, who visited North Korea, banned from visiting South Korea, reported Sankei, the Japanese newspaper on October 4, quoting the officials. The newspaper explained that Kim’s order was to hold back the breakaway from the union, which was started by North Korea’s admission that it had kidnapped the Japanese.

According to the newspaper, the order from the North Korean government was heralded through the instruction to the union officials who went to Pyongyang by ‘Mankyung Mt.’, a cruiser running between Pyongyang and Japan, by Kang Ju-Il, the director of bureau of foreign affairs in North Korean ruling Worker’s Party, on September 16.

The details were to not send the students of the union, including those of Chosun University, in the name of school trip to actively participate in the Korean unification campaign because the central headquarter is not sufficient to fulfill this trip and to request the money for the operation from Korean businessmen in Japan because North Korean finance is in an unfortunate situation.

parkwj@donga.com