North Korean Room

JAPANESE ABDUCTEES

After the Korean War, North Korea engaged in various forms of abductions and forced relocations, targeting individuals from South Korea and other countries. Thousands of South Korean civilians, including fishermen, tourists, and other individuals, were abducted during and after the Korean War. These abductions involved forcibly taking people across the border into North Korea, where they were compelled to live under the regime's strict control. Many of these abductees never had the opportunity to return to their families in South Korea, leaving behind a legacy of separation and suffering.

North Korea also extended its abduction campaign beyond the Korean Peninsula, abducting foreign nationals, most notably Japanese citizens, during the 1970s and 1980s. These abductions were carried out for several reasons: to train North Korean agents in Japanese language and culture, to use the identities of abductees for covert operations, and to strengthen North Korean intelligence capabilities abroad. The regime also exploited abductees for propaganda purposes and as leverage in political negotiations.

Efforts to address the abduction issue have included diplomatic negotiations and humanitarian initiatives. However, many families continue to live with the uncertainty and pain of not knowing the fate of their loved ones. The North Korean government has been widely criticized for its lack of transparency and unwillingness to resolve these abductions, which remain a deeply painful aspect of the divided families issue and North Korea's human rights record.

RUMIKO MASUMOTO AND ICHIKAWA SHUICHI

Ms. Rumiko Masumoto and her friend, Mr. Ichikawa Shuichi were Japanese citizens who suddenly disappeared on August 12, 1978, from a beach in Kagoshima Prefecture, located in the southern part of Japan. Over the next ten days, the police, firefighters, and 2,000 other people conducted a thorough search of the area where Ichikawa's car was found, but they could not find any clues. The families were left puzzled and distressed by the mysterious disappearance.

In the following year, a newspaper reported that there was a possibility that Ms. Masumoto had been abducted by North Korean agents. In 1978, similar incidents took place in three prefectures on the Sea of Japan. Although one of these incidents was unsuccessful, after examining the remains of the criminals, it was discovered that the methods used were similar to those employed in North Korea. However, there were doubts as to why a normal clerk like Ms. Masumoto, who lived a normal life in Japan and had no interest in North Korea, would be involved in such an abduction case.

In 1997, information from North Korean escapees revealed the existence of Ms. Megumi Yokota, who was abducted at the age of 13. This caused major concern among Japanese. Families of abductees from different parts of Japan came together to urge the government to take action.

Five years later, at the first Japan-North Korea summit meeting held in September 2002, North Korea at last admitted for the first time that it had abducted Japanese citizens and apologized while promising to prevent any further recurrence. North Korea provided a report stating that “five people remains and eight people died," in response to the Japanese government's request for "the fate of 13 people." In October of the same year, five of the abductees returned from North Korea to Japan after 24 years. Despite ongoing campaigns by the families, North Korea has been unable to fully address the issue even 22 years later.

SOGA MIYOSHI

Ms. Soga Miyoshi is a Japanese citizen who was abducted by North Korean agents in 1978. She is among the most well-known victims of North Korea's abduction campaign, which targeted Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s for purposes such as training spies in Japanese language and culture.

On August 12, 1978, Hitomi Soga, then 19 years old, and her mother, Miyoshi Soga, were kidnapped from their hometown of Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. They were forced onto a boat and taken to North Korea. Soga was separated from her mother upon arrival, and to this day, her mother’s whereabouts remain unknown. In North Korea, Soga was compelled to undergo training in the Korean language and the ideology of the North Korean state.

In 1980, she was forced to marry Charles Robert Jenkins, a U.S. Army deserter who had crossed into North Korea in 1965. Despite the unusual circumstances of their marriage, the two formed a bond and had two daughters. For over two decades, Soga lived in North Korea under strict surveillance, unable to contact her family in Japan and unaware of the outside world.

In 2002, after years of denial, North Korea admitted to abducting 13 Japanese citizens, including Soga, and allowed five of them to return to Japan. Soga was among those permitted to leave, though her husband and daughters initially remained in North Korea. After extensive diplomatic negotiations, Jenkins and their two daughters were allowed to join Soga in Japan in 2004.

Since returning to Japan, Soga has been an advocate for other abductees, highlighting the suffering endured by those still unaccounted for in North Korea. Her story has brought international attention to North Korea's abduction program and remains a symbol of the ongoing human rights abuses perpetrated by the regime.

Soga's plight remains significant in the context of Japan-North Korea relations. While she has rebuilt her life in Japan, she continues to advocate for the resolution of the abduction issue and for the return of all remaining abductees, including her mother. Her story symbolizes the enduring pain and resilience of the families affected by North Korea's abduction campaign and their continued fight for truth, justice, and reunification with their loved ones.