"Failed to convene twice a year" pointed out
Ministry of Unification to convene Abductees Countermeasures Committee on 13th next month
"Exploring various measures to resolve abductee issues"
The government is reactivating the inter-ministerial 'Abductees Countermeasure Committee' to resolve the issue of abductees for the first time in 11 years. The Ministry of Unification was originally required to convene the committee twice a year, but it has been confirmed that this obligation has not been fulfilled since 2012.
An official from the Ministry of Unification stated on the 30th, "To resolve the abductees issue, the Abductees Countermeasure Committee will be held on the 13th of next month," adding, "This committee will be chaired by Moon Seung-hyun, Vice Minister of Unification, and directors from eight ministries including the Office for Government Policy Coordination, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Justice will participate as members." The committee is a government-wide task force for resolving the abductees issue, with duties including ▲establishing comprehensive measures such as confirming mid- to long-term tasks ▲deciding solutions for tasks such as confirming the life status of abductees, exchanging letters, reunions, and repatriation.
At the "10th June 25 Abductee Victims Remembrance Day" event held last June at the Imjingak National June 25 Korean War Abductee Victims Memorial in Paju-si, Gyeonggi Province, a victim's family member is gently touching a photo of their abducted family member. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Previously, based on data submitted by Tae Young-ho, a member of the People Power Party, obtained from the Ministry of Unification, it was reported that the Ministry of Unification convened the committee twice in 2012 but has not held it even once since then. According to the Prime Minister’s directive titled 'Regulations on the Establishment and Operation of the Abductees Countermeasure Committee,' enacted and enforced in December 2011, the committee was required to hold regular meetings twice a year, but this obligation has not been fulfilled for over 10 years.
President Yoon Suk-yeol reiterated his commitment to resolving the abductees issue during the Korea-US summit in April this year and again at the Korea-US-Japan summit held at Camp David in August. Subsequently, the Ministry of Unification established an 'Abductees Countermeasure Team' directly under the minister last month, showing alignment with this commitment. However, it has been confirmed that the already established inter-ministerial task force was neglected for 11 years without any particular reason.
Ku Byung-sam, spokesperson for the Ministry of Unification, said, "Regarding the abductees issue, we are reviewing various practical measures centered on the countermeasure team."
Furthermore, the government criticized North Korea for focusing on hacking attacks on virtual assets to finance its nuclear and missile development, while being designated as a 'high-risk money laundering country' internationally for 13 consecutive years, emphasizing the need to block the 'black money' flowing to the Kim Jong-un regime.
At a regular briefing held at the Government Seoul Office, spokesperson Ku said, "The illegal fund theft by the North Korean regime to secure ruling funds and funds for the development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) is becoming increasingly bold in terms of methods and scale," adding, "The government will actively cooperate with the international community to block North Korea’s evasion of sanctions and illegal fundraising activities."
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recently announced at its 3rd plenary meeting that it will maintain North Korea’s designation as a 'high-risk money laundering country' for the 13th consecutive year. Also, the UN Security Council’s North Korea Sanctions Committee released a report from its expert panel on the 27th (local time), estimating that the amount of virtual asset theft by North Korea’s Reconnaissance General Bureau last year was $1.7 billion (approximately 2.3 trillion KRW). This is three times the amount stolen in 2021.
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