My Younger Sibling I Haven't Seen in 11 Years, I Am a Family Member of a North Korean Detainee

Missionary Kim Jeong-uk Detained in North Korea Ahead of Chuseok
Held for 11 Years... Brother Jeong Sam Calls for "At Least Confirmation of Life"
North Korea UPR Scheduled for November... Calls for International Solidarity

"It was around this time 11 years ago. My younger brother came to visit before Chuseok. He was worried that the value of the gifts distributed to North Korean residents at the noodle factory was declining and was thinking about how to improve them. I told him to at least bring beef for the holiday, but he left, saying he was busy with missionary work. I never imagined that would be the last time I saw him."

Jeong Sam, the older brother of missionary Kim Jeong-uk, who has been detained in North Korea for 11 years, paused briefly before continuing.

"He said he was going on a mission, but my brother's image appeared as a 'news special report'"

Missionary Kim Jeong-uk, who was arrested in Pyongyang in October 2013, is expressing his position at a press conference held by North Korean authorities.

In October 2013, North Korea announced that they had arrested missionary Kim in Pyongyang and broadcast a press conference featuring him. The image of Kim, who was thought to be busy with missionary activities near the North Korea-China border, appeared in a news special. It was only then that his older brother realized that his younger brother had been captured in North Korea.

Jeong Sam said, "It was exactly around this time," taking a moment to catch his breath. "I vividly remember my brother leaving, saying he was going back to help North Korean residents, and just a few days later, such news flooded the TV. I didn't know where to seek help; I just thought something terrible had happened," he recalled.

North Korea charged him with crimes including plotting to overthrow the state, anti-state propaganda and agitation, and illegal border crossing. In the trial held the following May, he was sentenced to "life labor reform," a punishment equivalent to life imprisonment. The charge of "plotting to overthrow the state" was the same one applied when Jang Song-thaek was executed. It implies that Kim attempted a rebellion.

At the time, North Korean media uniformly reported that Kim had confessed to the charges, but the truth is unknown. The trial was conducted arbitrarily under government control, with all external contact cut off. To prove this, North Korean media used Kim as an example of propaganda and agitation, stating, "This clearly shows that those who sympathize with the confrontation among compatriots will face the judgment of history."

"Brother, I remember you saying you couldn't sleep because you felt sorry for North Korean residents"

Jeong-sam, the older brother of missionary Kim Jeong-wook, appeals for international solidarity to resolve the detainee issue.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim Jeong-uk was the seventh son among eight sons and one daughter. Jeong Sam recalled when Kim decided to serve North Korean residents. "I remember my brother once saying, 'Brother, I have no ties to North Korea, but I can't sleep because I feel sorry for the residents,'" he said.

Kim began short-term missionary work in Dandong in 2007 and started full-fledged missionary activities in 2008. He established a small noodle factory to help defectors and North Korean residents. He also provided lodging and meals. When residents returned to North Korea, he carefully gave them clothes, food, and money.

It is unknown when and how Kim entered North Korea or whether he was lured there. Next month on the 8th will mark 11 years, but there is no way to confirm even whether he is alive.

Although not widely known, Kim's siblings also come from a family of missionaries who serve in underprivileged countries. Jeong Sam said, "Not only my brother but also other missionaries detained in North Korea were probably trying to spread good words, which led to this situation," adding, "I hope North Korea will now understand the good intentions to spread love and peace instead of opposing them."

The father who passed away first, 11 years that flowed helplessly

Status card introducing North Korean detainees by the Ministry of Unification. [Image source=Ministry of Unification]

Every year when Chuseok comes around, the family tries to soothe their painful hearts. The father reportedly did not know about his son's detention for several years. Jeong Sam said, "Even during holidays, when my brother didn't appear, my father would ask, 'Why isn't Jeong-uk's face showing?' and longed to see him," adding, "He thought my brother was just busy with missionary work, but after about two years, I told him the truth." The father, who received the hard-to-believe news, only sighed deeply. He passed away in 2017, four years after Kim was detained, while waiting for his son.

There was a moment when a clue seemed to appear. Jeong Sam said, "During the 2018 inter-Korean summits, everyone hoped, 'Maybe detainees will be released this time,' but..." trailing off.

The Moon Jae-in administration, when inter-Korean relations were warming, was expected to be a "golden time" for the repatriation of detainees. However, according to released data over time, the government did not actively request repatriation. Among the three summits in 2018, repatriation requests were made during the first and second summits, but North Korea did not even confirm the detainees' status. During the third summit, no repatriation request was made at all.

Jeong Sam sighed, saying, "As time passes, people around me ask about my brother's whereabouts, and they get angrier at the government and North Korea than the family does. I have nothing to say except that there is no news at all."

Jeong Sam: "I hope North Korea will move through international solidarity"

Last August, a public hearing titled 'Appeal of Families for International Solidarity on the Issues of Abduction, Detention, and Forced Disappearance' was held at the Ministry of Unification's Inter-Korean Relations Management Division in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Jeong Sam is once again holding onto hope with the current government's focus on abductees, detainees, and Korean War POW issues. He said, "The government is providing a lot of help in ways we hadn't expected," adding, "I feel in my heart that President Yoon Seok-yeol and the Ministry of Unification are working hard for the detainees."

The government and North Korean human rights organizations are stepping up pressure on North Korea ahead of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on North Korea at the UN Human Rights Council in November. They are focusing on "raising awareness" internationally so that countries can specifically point out and recommend actions regarding detainee issues. On the 29th of last month, the Ministry of Unification gathered many foreign diplomats in South Korea to convey the families' appeals.

Jeong Sam said, "When Chuseok approaches, I recall my brother's last image, and it pains my heart," adding, "I fervently pray to confirm his status as soon as possible and for his release and repatriation." He continued, "Thinking about how my brother is doing breaks my heart, but it is also heartbreaking that North Korean residents continue to suffer from the pain and hardship of lacking such freedom," urging, "I ask the international community to unite and move North Korea."

Meanwhile, North Korea detained missionaries Kim Guk-gi and Choi Chun-gil in 2014. In 2016, three defectors who acquired South Korean nationality were additionally captured. All of them are missionaries. Their status remains unknown to this day.

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