| Submit your comments on this article |
| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Abductee Escapes NKorea After 30 Years |
| 2007-06-16 |
| A South Korean man kidnapped by North Korea more than 30 years ago has escaped the communist country. Lee Han-seop, 59, was at a South Korean consulate in China, said Choi Sung-yong, the head of a group of relatives of South Koreans allegedly kidnapped by the North. Lee fled the North last month. Lee had been in the North since his fishing boat was seized off South Korea's east coast in 1975, Choi said. Lee is among more than 480 South Korean civilians believed to have been kidnapped by North Korea. The North claims they defected voluntarily. South Korea's Foreign Ministry declined to comment on Lee, citing its policy of not commenting on North Korean defectors for safety concerns. North Koreans whose relatives escape are believed to face harsh punishment. Lee was unable to bring his wife and two children out of the North with him, Choi said. He said he expected Lee to be sent to South Korea soon. South Korea also estimates that about 500 soldiers captured during the 1950-53 Korean War are still alive in the North. North Korea denies holding any prisoners of war. |
| Posted by:Pappy |