Monday, July 15, 2013

North Korea Is Still Holding South Korea Soldiers As POWs For Almost 60 Years

Han Byung-soo, 82, watches news on TV at a care house on July 10, 2013 in Seoul, South Korea. Han escaped from a coal mine in North Korea in 2004. (Shin Woong-jae/ For The Washington Post )

Some South Korean POWs Still Trapped In The North, 60 Years After Armistice -- Washington Post

“Time is chasing us,” said Lee Sang-chul, a one-star general at the South Korean Ministry of National Defense who is in charge of the POW issue.

But without North Korea’s cooperation, Lee said, the South has little recourse to retrieve its soldiers. Lee said that, realistically, the POWs have only one way to return home: They have to escape.

Hopes that withered

So far, about 80 have.

They gather for annual dinners in the South, and some meet for regular card games. They’ve been given overdue medals and overdue apologies. They’ve testified about the POWs they know who are still in the North. They’ve shaken hands with the president. They’ve received major compensation payments — about $10,000 per month, over five years.

Read more ....

My Comment: One has to wonder what other secrets does North Korea hold.

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