It has emerged that when former President Roh Moo Hyun visited Pyongyang in 2007 he raised the issue of POWs and kidnapped South Korean civilians with the late Kim Jong Il, but to no avail.
Choi Seong Yong, who heads Family Assembly Abducted to North Korea, revealed the information, saying that he heard it from former Minister of Unification Lee Jae Jung. Lee was part of the South Korean delegation that attended the 2007 summit.
“Kim Jong Il told [President Roh] that he had acknowledged the Japanese kidnapping issue and had even apologized, but that only made things worse. Therefore, he said he could not accept it,” Choi explained to Daily NK yesterday.
“Kim Jong Il told [Roh] not to bring it up, saying that hardliners were viciously attacking him over it,” former Minister Lee reportedly said.
However, when Daily NK spoke to former Minister Lee himself, he said that he was unable to verify the story. “It is true that I was there,” he said. “However, that was not an agenda item and I cannot remember whether ir was discussed or not.”
“I also remember speaking with Choi, but I have no idea what we discussed,” Lee added. A second official also said he has attended multiple meetings with Choi, but cannot remember the contents.
Upon his return from North Korea in October 2007, former President Roh told reporters at the inter-Korean immigration office at Dorasan that “I raised the kidnapping and POW problem with NDC Chairman Kim Jong Il, but opinions differed and we were unable to make headway to the extent we had hoped.”
