[imText1]Being included in the list of the 6.15 Special Reunion of Separated Families that was arranged in late June, are Kim Young Nam, who was abducted by North Korea from Sunyudo Island in North Jeolla province in 1978 and married Yokoda Megumi, a Japanese woman. He is scheduled to reunite with his mother, Choi Gae Weul (82) who lives in South Korea.
On the 8th, the North Korean government informed the South Korean government in a phone call that abductee Kim Young Nam and his mother Choi Gae Weul would be allowed to reunite as part of the 6.15 Special Reunion of Separated Families which will be held in celebration of the 6.15 Joint Statement.
Organizations dealing with the abductee issue have strongly criticized the reunion through the 6.15 Special Reunion of Separated Families as a diversion tactic of the South Korean government in order to avoid the more fundamental problem of repatriation of abductees.
However, Choi Sung Ryong, Representative of the Family Assembly of those Abducted to North Korea thought it was necessary to pursue the reunion of the family as soon as possible, because Mrs. Choi was aged and unhealthy. Regarding the family reunion proposal suggested by North Korea, Representative Choi agreed that, “North Korea sees the abductee issue as an official matter”.
During the high-level talks held last April, North Korea did not mention the subject of the Kim family reunion, except with the statement “We are looking into it”. Only later did North Korea inform the South that it would allow Mr. Kim to meet with his mother in late June, raising the question of why the North would want the two to reunite. Regarding the sudden change of opinion, Japanese organizations have analyzed it as an attempt by the North to gain closure to the Japanese abductee issue by confirming the death of Megumi at the reunion of Mr. Kim and his mother.
Abe Shinjo “I will use my negotiation tactics to forward the abductee issue”
Japanese Deputy Cabinet Secretary Abe Shinjo underlined Korea-Japan cooperation by saying that, “I can bring my negotiating experience to resolution of the abductee issue, which can help South Korea as well”. This may be an attempt to prevent conflict between Korean and Japanese families who have claimed the ‘restoration to the original state’ principle and have emphasized the importance of a concrete resolution of the abductee issue.
Lee Mi Il, Chief Director of the Korean War Abductee Family Union said that, “If in North Korea Kim Young Nam meets his mother Mrs. Choi, as the North Korea government proposed, North Korea is more likely to assert that it was not an abduction and that he was well off in North Korea. North Korea may attempt to make it look as though the South is interfering unnecessarily, which may damage the already fragile possibility of repatriation”.
However, particularly in the case of Mrs. Choi, a sick and elderly woman, it is not likely that organizations would neglect her wishes and insist on the abductee repatriation principle.
The key strategy of Japan was for the parents of Megumi to insist on the repatriation of the abductees, although North Korea only offered the conciliatory allowance of a reunion. Japan may finally see North Korea establish the death of Megumi Yokota at the Kim family reunion.
The Kim family reunion will now very likely go through as planned, and it should be welcomed and celebrated. The important thing now is to focus on South Korean and Japanese actions after the occurence of the reunion that are more important for solving the abductee issue.
Japanese and Korean organizations working on the abductee issue, need to focus on the result of the Kim reunion and should thoroughly prepare for various North Korean political moves. It is still necessary to get public opinion involved, and to reinforce the solidarity between South Korea and Japan for the resolution of the abductee issue.
