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September 24, 2002
The government has raised the issue of Korean War POWs and civilian abductees from South Korea at high-level inter-Korean talks since the 1990s, but little progress has been made due to North Korea's insincere attitude.
Since its inception in 1998, the Kim Dae-jung government has actively brought up the issue and pursued the issues through various channels of inter-Korean dialogue, including the Red Cross.
As a result, during the recent 4th Inter-Korean Red Cross talks South and North Korea agreed to consult on and sort out the whereabouts of those unaccounted for during the Korean War as part of a Red Cross humanitarian project.
In addition, reunions are being made, though very limited in number, between prisoners of war and South Korean civilians kidnapped to the North and their Southern relatives at the time of pre-arranged meetings of families and relatives separated by national division.
The drive for a solution to this issue is expected to pick up speed when mutual confidence is built up with the improving relations between the two Koreas. This issue can hardly be compared with the Japanese position toward North Korea concerning the abductee issue. The inter-Korean issues primarily stem from the Korean War and its aftermath, whereas the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korean operatives involves a relatively small number of people.
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