Abductee Groups Plan UN Demonstration

South Korean Civic groups for North Korean abductee issues participating in the North Korea Freedom Week activities in Washington, D.C. visited the United Nations on April 24 (local time) to deliver a letter of appeal to the international body to pay more attention to the topic.

Choi Seong-yong, president of Representatives of Abductee Families, Do Hee-yun, head of the Citizen’s Coalition for Human Rights of the Abducted and North Korean Refugees, Lee Jae-geun, a former abductee who escaped the North and others visited the UNHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights) in the New York U.N. headquarters in the afternoon and delivered a list of those abducted to the North and a letter of appeal, asking for help and commitment by the U.N.

In the letter they argued that North Korea is still denying charges of abduction despite the fact that many South Korean abductees actually exist, such as in the case of Japanese abductee Megumi Yokota’s husband, who was recently confirmed to be Kim Young-nam, kidnapped from the South.

The delegates plan to stage a demonstration in front of the Office of the Permanent Mission of the DPRK to UN on April 25 morning to demand a resolution of the abductee issue.

Adam Ereli, Deputy Spokesman of the U.S. State Department, announced on April 24 that the U.S. government will maintain its support for those working for the return of people abducted to North Korea.

He declared at the day’s regular briefing that the U.S. has tried to aid such efforts openly and in every possible way, and it will continue to do so in the future.

Jong sik Kong kong@donga.com