Seoul vows action following backlash over detainee controversy

The presidential office said on Dec. 4 that it would seek a solution through efforts to resume inter-Korean dialogue as soon as possible based on public consensus, a day after President Lee Jae-myung faced criticism for saying he was hearing about the issue for the first time when asked by a foreign reporter about measures for South Korean citizens detained in North Korea.

In a written statement released the same day, the presidential office said that a total of six South Korean nationals, including three North Korean defectors, have been detained in North Korea between 2013 and 2016 on charges including espionage. It added that with inter-Korean dialogue and exchanges having been halted for an extended period, the suffering caused by national division continues, and there is urgency in resolving this issue. While North Korea has released detainees from the United States and other countries, the six South Koreans remain in long-term detention, with their conditions and even their whereabouts unknown.

During a foreign press conference the previous day, President Lee was asked by a reporter from NK News, a media outlet specializing in North Korea, about the situation. Lee then turned to National Security Advisor Wi Sung-rak and asked whether South Korean citizens were being held in the North and under what circumstances. He added that because the issue occurred such a long time ago, individual information is limited” and said he would “look further into the situation before making a judgment.

On December 3, NK News reported that after the press conference, Wi expressed a willingness to link the release of South Korean detainees in North Korea with the repatriation of unconverted long-term prisoners currently in South Korea. However, on December 4, the Ministry of Unification said it is not reviewing a plan to link the repatriation of unconverted long-term prisoners with the return of South Koreans detained in North Korea. The ministry added that it continues to communicate frequently with the detainees’ families and provide support.

Families of the detainees expressed disappointment with the situation. Kim Jeong-sam, the older brother of missionary Kim Jeong-wook, said, “I feel extremely let down and saddened. The task force on abductees within the Ministry of Unification has been dissolved, and the president saying it is ‘the first he has heard of it’ breaks my heart.”


Kyu-Jin Shin newjin@donga.com