Truth and Reconciliation Commission: "Government Must Apologize to North Korean Soldiers Abducted During Vietnam War"

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has decided to ascertain the truth regarding human rights violation cases.

Kim Kwang-dong, chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Jung-gu, Seoul, is speaking. Photo by Yonhap News.

On the 7th, the TRC announced at its 90th meeting that it had decided to ascertain the truth in three cases, including the "Human Rights Violation Case of Vietnamese War Missing Soldiers and Their Families." This case involves Mr. An, who was deployed to the Vietnam War and went missing on September 9, 1966. Although the government confirmed Mr. An's abduction to North Korea, he was only recognized as a victim of abduction in 2009. It is known that Mr. An's family suffered for a long time, being classified as family of defectors to the North and subjected to management and surveillance by investigative intelligence agencies.

The TRC analyzed and investigated case-related materials obtained from the Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Unification, Office of Education, National Police Agency, and the National Archives. It was confirmed that after Mr. An went out around September 9, 1966, he did not return to his unit, yet no investigation into his whereabouts was conducted until Pyongyang Broadcasting reported his defection on March 27, 1967.

In particular, the "Report on the Investigation of Defection Cases" announced on May 8, 1967, recorded that Mr. An was "recognized as abducted," and the investigation also covered the fact that in 1976, a South Korean spy named Mr. Kim reported Mr. An's death to investigative authorities. Taken together, it was revealed that the government had confirmed Mr. An's abduction at least since May 8, 1967.

The TRC explained, "Although the state judged at the time that Mr. An was abducted, it did not investigate the circumstances of his going to North Korea nor take measures for his repatriation," and added, "The classification of Mr. An's family as defectors' families and their decades-long surveillance and management constitute a serious human rights violation."

The TRC recommended that the state apologize to the victims and their families for human rights violations caused by unlawful state actions and take appropriate measures to restore their damages and honor. Additionally, the commission announced investigation results on other human rights violation cases, including violations of the National Security Act and illegal detention under the Anti-Communism Law.