SOUTH KOREA: The recent return of a South Korean fisherman abducted by North Korean authorities more than 40 years ago reopens wounds in a small island village that lost 17 other men to the communist state

Record ID: 524506

  • Title: SOUTH KOREA: The recent return of a South Korean fisherman abducted by North Korean authorities more than 40 years ago reopens wounds in a small island village that lost 17 other men to the communist state
  • Date: 20th November 2013
  • Summary: NONGSO, SOUTH KOREA (RECENT) (REUTERS) VIEW OF ISLAND AROUND DAWN SUN RISING FISHERMAN ON BOAT FISHING AT SEA VIEW OF PORT AT ISLAND MAN MENDING FISHING NET ISLAND VILLAGE NEAR PORT VARIOUS OF 82-YEAR-OLD OK CHUL-SOON, WIFE OF ONE OF THE FISHERMEN WHO WAS ABDUCTED BY NORTH KOREA, WALKING AROUND HER VILLAGE
  • Embargoed: 5th December 2013 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
  • Country: Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA8LSSYI5HF650FLO4K27HSCNVM
  • Story Text: The recent return of a South Korean fisherman abducted by North Korea more than 40 years ago has reopened wounds in a small island village that lost 17 other men in a conflict that still simmers today.
    Jeon Wook-pyo, who reappeared in South Korea in September after escaping from the North through China, has since paid a brief visit to Nongso, where he was originally from.
    However, he did not stay there for long as he does not have family there anymore.
    Eighty-two-year-old Ok Chul-soon is from Nongso, a remote outpost of around 170 people on the southern island of Geoje, about five hours drive from Seoul.
    Ok said she and other wives went to greet their husbands' return after days of fishing at sea with new clothes for them, but they never returned. They were later told by South Korean coast guards that their husbands were abducted by the North.
    Upon Jeon's return, she said it was disappointing to hear that it was not her husband.

    "It wasn't a nice feeling at all. I even cried as I heard that Wook-pyo had returned. I didn't say anything and walked out of the place," said Ok, whose husband skippered one of two fishing boats that were seized with all hands, including Jeon, by North Korean patrol boats near disputed waters in December 1972.
    She acknowledged she was happy for Jeon's return, but said she was too upset to stay throughout his visit, adding that she hoped they would be able to meet privately at some point in the future so she could ask for news of her husband.
    There, the wives, sisters and mothers of those still held in the North have only fading black and white photographs of their missing menfolk.

    "I've been always feeling sorry and longing for him. My house is near the road, so whenever I heard someone walking by, I though it was him. Whenever the door made some sounds, I thought it was him walking in my house. I've been living like this," said 82-year-old Kim Jeom-sun, the wife of one of those abducted.
    Seoul says 516 South Koreans, mostly fishermen, remain in the North after a spate of abductions following the 1950-53 Korean War - the two sides are technically still at war as no peace treaty was ever signed.
    South Korea's Ministry of Unification, which handles ties with the North, said the government is looking to bring back those who were abducted.

    "The situation is that North Korea illegally detains our people in North Korea. Our government is seeking various ways to solve the issue of abductees . That is the basic stance of South Korean government," said South Korean Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Eui-do at a regular news briefing.
    Critics, however, say Seoul avoids confronting the North over the issue as it doesn't want to jeopardise its policy of engagement with Pyongyang.

    "They (South Korean government) are handling ties with North Korea making ongoing efforts for the Kaesong Industrial Park and dialogues with the North. I know our issue would irritate North Korea. However, this is a matter of life and of family," said the head of the Abductees' Union , Choi Sung-yong, in Seoul.
    Those abducted were used by North Korea for propaganda purposes or intelligence gathering, according to the testimonies of those who have made it back to the South. Pyongyang says anyone in the North is there voluntarily.
    For now, 68-year-old Jeon is getting rehabilitation and going through a counselling programme at a government facility.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register