North May Have Arrested Abductee’s Family

Kim Young-nam’s family has reportedly been under house arrest for several months. He was apparently abducted by North Korea, and recently it was found that he is the husband Megumi Yokota, an abducted Japanese woman.

Choi Seong-yong, a head of a group for families of abducted people said on April 14, “A North Korean, who said in September 2004 that Yokota’s husband is a Korean, said to me over the phone that Kim’s family is currently under house arrest.”

He added that, “To prevent information on Kim from leaking out of the North, North Korea is watching every move of Kim. The house arrest seemed to have been imposed since this January the North allowed South Korea and Japan to conduct a DNA test of five high school students kidnapped by the North.”

Kim’s family is staying in a suburban area of Pyongyang and is not allowed to meet other people. Kim was kidnapped in 1978 on Seonyudo Beach in Jeonbuk Province. He has reportedly served as a trainer of spies.

He has a daughter, Hye-kyeong, born to Yokota in 1987. Some say he married again to another woman and gave birth to a son based on the fact that Hye-kyeong, whom they met in Pyongyang in 2002, said that she has a half-brother.

Choi said, “Personal information on Kim and Yokota has yet to be confirmed. If Yokota died, North Korea should disclose their information including photos.”

weappon@donga.com