South Korean Room

PRISONERS OF WAR

The issue of South Korean prisoners of war (POWs) and divided families is a painful and unresolved legacy of the Korean War (1950-1953). During and after the conflict, many South Korean soldiers and civilians were captured by North Korea, often held under brutal conditions, with some never returning home. The fate of many of these POWs remains unknown, leaving their families to endure ongoing hardships due to a lack of recognition and support.

North Korea has long insisted that no South Korean POWs remain in the country against their will, claiming that all ROK POWs were repatriated under the 1953 Armistice Agreement. However, a Special Report on the Armistice, submitted to the United Nations by the United Nations Military Command on August 7, 1953, estimated that 82,000 South Korean POWs were missing in action at the time of the Armistice on July 23, 1953. Of these, only 8,343 were repatriated, leaving a significant number unaccounted for.

The defection of Lieutenant Cho Chang-ho from North Korea on October 24, 1994, brought renewed attention to the issue of South Korean POWs. In April 1998, the South Korean government officially classified all 41,971 soldiers listed as missing in action (including 22,562 confirmed dead and 19,409 unaccounted for) as killed in action, based on family reports and government investigations.

According to testimonies from repatriated POWs, it is estimated that about 500 POWs may still be alive in North Korea as of 2010. However, determining the exact number is difficult, as no South Korean POWs have been repatriated since 2011. Between 1994 and February 2010, a total of 80 POWs returned to South Korea. As of March 2024, the remains of seven individuals have been repatriated, and 114 families of POWs from known detention sites are registered.

MYEONGHWA SON

Son Myeong-hwa recalls her father's last wish: "If you get to go to the South, you've got to carry my bones with you and bury me where I was born." Her father, a South Korean soldier from Gimhae, was forced to work in North Korea's coal mines and logging factories for decades, dying of cancer without ever seeing his homeland again.

Defecting in 2005, Son took eight years to fulfill her father's dying wish. She arranged for his remains to be exhumed and smuggled out of North Korea. After a year-long protest, she secured his burial in South Korea’s national cemetery in 2015, believing she had honored her father's memory. However, this act came at a high cost: her siblings in North Korea were imprisoned in political camps as punishment.

Now leading the Korean War POW Family Association, Son advocates for recognition and fair treatment of around 110 families of South Korean soldiers who never returned. She and her lawyers have filed a constitutional court case, challenging the South Korean government’s neglect of unrepatriated soldiers. Many, like Son, seek compensation for unpaid wages, but face numerous barriers due to their uncertain status.

Son passionately argues that without action, the sacrifices of these soldiers and their families will be forgotten. "If we can't recover our fathers' honor," she says, "the horrendous lives of the prisoners of war and their children will be all forgotten."