North Korean Abductions of South Koreans - Two Types of Abductees

Two Types of Abductees

South Korean abductees by North Korea are categorized into two groups. One is wartime abductees, or Korean War abductees, who were kidnapped to North Korea against their wishes during the 1950-53 Korean War and died there or are still being detained in North Korea. Most of them were educated, such as politicians, government officials, scholars, educators, doctors, judicial officials, journalists, businessmen, etc. According to testimonies by remaining family members, most of abductions were carried out by North Korean soldiers who showed up at the homes of individuals with specific names and identification in hand. This is an indication that the abductions were carried out intentionally and in an organized manner.

The other is postwar abductees who were kidnapped by North Korean agents in the South Korean territory or foreign countries after the armistice was signed in 1953. Most of them were captured while fishing near the DMZ, but some were abducted by North Korean agents in South Korea. North Korea continued to abduct South Koreans into the 2000s, as is shown by the cases of Rev. Kim Dongsik (김동식), who was abducted on January 16, 2000, and Jin Gyeong-suk (진경숙), a defector to the South who was abducted on August 8, 2004, when she had returned to the PRC-DPRK border area on her ROK passport.