[imText1]The news that deceased Sergeant Ahn Hak Soo, who was abducted by North Korea in 1967 during the Vietnam War, was classified as a defector until just last month has caused uproar in South Korea.
The news came out earlier this week, but Ahn Yong Soo, the abductee’s brother, the Family Assembly Abducted to North Korea and Kim Yong Gyu, a North Korean military secret agent who surrendered after being dispatched to South Korea in 1976, held a press conference on Wednesday to reveal more.
According to the testimony of Kim Yong Gyu, Sergeant Ahn was executed after trying to escape his North Korean captors and subsequent arrest at the North Korea-China border.
Choi Sung Ryong of the Family Assembly Abducted to North Korea explained in a phone conversation with The Daily NK on the 21st, “We confirmed all this from a Defense Security Command document where the death of Sergeant Ahn after defecting from North Korea was recorded.”
The document is mostly based on the statements of Kim Yong Gyu, a North Korean military secret agent who surrendered after being dispatched to South Korea in 1976.
Sergeant Ahn is known to have deserted his post in Vietnam in 1967, whereupon he was apparently kidnapped by North Korea and transferred there. At this point he made his escape attempt, but was recaptured at the North Korea-China border. Thereafter, he was charged with espionage and executed in 1976.
Choi pointed out, “The South Korean government knew that Ahn died after attempting to defect from the North, but did not alter his military record of ‘desertion, defection to North Korea’ for 33 years. Rather than properly conducting investigations into such abductions, it has only caused harm to the families of abductees as a result of guilt-by-association.”
Further, he emphasized, “The government also has a statement about Ahn from Mr. Jung–another North Korean agent who surrendered after being sent to the South… The government must apologize for aggravating the pain of the abductees and their family members.”
In particular, he stressed, “Sergeant Ahn’s brother Ahn Yong Soo, after hearing of these facts, has entered a state of shock. He has suffered a tremendous amount of pain.”
Choi also explained that the government had hitherto ignored countless petitions submitted by surviving members of abductees’ families, but only dispatched a Joint Government Investigation Team to Vietnam in September, 2008. It finally revised Ahn’s military record from ‘desertion, defection to North Korea’ to ‘desertion and abduction’ in May, 2009.
Choi also revealed that, at the 90th Ministry of Defense’ Prisoners of War (POW) Policy Committee Meeting in June, the decision was taken to designate Ahn as a POW.
However, Choi does not feel that enough has been done yet, “By divulging the contents of the acquired document, we will punish the government for its idleness and spread awareness about the suffering that the abductees have had to endure during this time,” he said.
Ahn Yong Soo called for measures to be taken to prevent such matters in the future and asked the media not to stand by silently in these cases.
Furthermore, Ahn claimed during the conference that there are at least three more soldiers who deserted and were abducted by North Korea during the Vietnam War, though they are still designated as defectors in government documents. Though government documents indicate that there are four (including Ahn Hak-soo), Ahn told the press of a former North Korean Major who “has seen a lot of South Korean soldiers from Vietnam. He believes that there are around 20 to 30 of them.”
Ahn continued that the Ministry of National Defense is currently talking to the family of Park Seung Ryol, the first abductee, but it is very difficult as they (the family) have gone through a lot. He further said “I do not know who the other two are, but if empirical testimony or evidence is presented the other three may be recognized as prisoners of war.”
