Statement issued to mark 76th anniversary of Korean War
Commission calls for confirmation of victims' fates, prompt repatriation
By Jung Joo-won, The Herald Business
South Korea's National Human Rights Commission on Thursday designated the unresolved cases of civilians abducted during the Korean War and unrepatriated prisoners of war as "a grave human rights issue that remains unsettled to this day," urging the government and the international community to take more active steps.
Commission Chairperson Ahn Chang-ho issued a statement ahead of the second annual Day of Remembrance for Korean War Abductees, to be held Sunday, calling for confirmation of victims' fates, restoration of their honor and meaningful redress.
"Many of the civilians forcibly taken and the POWs who were never returned during the Korean War still have not had their whereabouts or survival confirmed," Ahn said in the statement. "Their families have been living with the wait and the pain for more than 70 years."
The commission said the issue of wartime abductees and unrepatriated POWs is not simply a matter of the past but an ongoing and serious human rights violation and a breach of international humanitarian law. Forcible abduction, prolonged detention and the failure to confirm whether victims are alive or dead constitute violations of the right to life and human dignity, it said.
The commission urged the government and the international community to make more active and effective efforts to confirm victims' fates, facilitate family reunions and secure prompt repatriation. It said the aging of victims and their families makes swift action all the more urgent.
The commission also said the state must expand efforts to establish the truth, preserve records and restore victims' honor, while putting in place measures for compensation, reparations and support for victims and their families.
Earlier, on June 9, the commission told the National Assembly that relevant legislation — covering compensation, consolation payments and medical support for wartime abductees and their families — should be enacted without delay. It also urged the countries involved and the international community to cooperate in locating South Korean nationals detained in North Korea and unrepatriated abductees.
"I hope the Day of Remembrance for Korean War Abductees becomes an occasion to remember the sacrifices and suffering of wartime abductees, POWs and their families, and to reaffirm the state's responsibility," Ahn said.
jookapooka@heraldcorp.com
