Choi Sung-ryong: The Long Crusade to Free Hostages in North Korea

"Time is running out fast," Choi Sung-ryong lamented. His soft voice masked the fiery determination driving his life's work. Now in his mid-70s, Choi has spent the past 30-odd years working to bring back South Korean abductees from North Korea and advocating for their families' rights.

The abductees refer to the thousands of South Koreans kidnapped by the North Korean regime in the aftermath of the Korean War (1950-53).

South Korea's Ministry of Unification indicates that North Korea abducted some 3,835 individuals from the South after the inter-Korean war ended in an armistice agreement in 1953. Many returned, but 516 remain unaccounted for to this day. Among them, Choi said about half have already passed away under the increasingly repressive regime.

"Our sons and daughters, moms and dads, and siblings are suffering under the brutal dictator," he said. He was referring to the North Korean leader. "My father was also killed there, but I can't even see his remains or give him the proper peace he deserves."

A Missing Father

A contact in North Korea recently informed Choi that his father had been executed for treason during a harsh December winter in 1972.

*Choi introducing images of abductees (©Kenji Yoshida)*

Choi's father served as a ship captain during the Korean War. It was operating under the command of the Korean Liaison Office – an ex-United States military counterintelligence unit. After his service, he made a living running a small maritime business, raising three children with his wife.

But on June 5, 1967, an unforeseen event changed their lives forever. Early that morning, Choi's father, filling in for a fellow crew, boarded a fishing boat bound for the open sea. Unbeknownst to him, a North Korean agent was onboard, waiting in the shadows. Instead of following the planned route, the vessel veered straight toward the North. He was never again seen after that day.

"He was a proud man," Choi remembered of his father. "I believe he was targeted for his role in resisting the North's invasion, which probably didn't sit well with Pyongyang."

Postwar Abductees' Families Take Action

Since 2012, Choi has been leading the Association of Victims of Postwar Abductees. It is South Korea's only government-approved group for the victims' families. Lately, the organization has been gaining renewed attention after resuming its campaign of launching what some deem as "propaganda" leaflets to North Korea.

Choi rejected this characterization, however. Holding an 8-by-11-inch plastic bag emblazoned with a black-and-white picture of seven abduction victims and their personal details, he explained its purpose. Inside the bag was a small leaflet featuring an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un behind bars. Alongside was a blunt letter demanding that Kim resolve the crime of abduction or else face retribution.

*Leaflet and plastic bag sent to North Korea (©Kenji Yoshida)*

The language is coarse, Choi admitted. But he clarified that there's nothing untrue about what's written. "We have no interest in subverting the Kim regime or influencing perceptions within North Korea with these leaflets," Choi remarked. "That's neither our business nor our place. We just want our people back."

Pyongyang's Dirty Retaliation

In retaliation to the leaflets, Pyongyang has, on several occasions, sent trash-filled balloons across the heavily fortified border into the South. But this tit-for-tat is part of a broader conflict engulfing the Korean Peninsula. Earlier in 2024, the Kim regime abandoned its long-held unification goal following military provocations in disputed maritime zones with the South. In October, a constitutional amendment designated South Korea as a "hostile state," further cementing the division between the two countries.

South Korea's opposition Democratic Party has urged Seoul officials to de-escalate tensions while demanding activists halt their leaflet campaigns. Residents near the border also strongly oppose sending leaflets. They cite the disruption caused by North Korea's retaliatory loudspeaker broadcasts and fears of armed clashes in the region. The local government responded in October by designating 11 danger zones near the border to crack down on leafleting activities.

Choi, however, argued that politicians in the South are being fooled. "During Park Geun-hye's administration, we temporarily ceased our campaign at the government's request while they tried to rebuild ties with North Korea. But nothing came of it," he said.

In the subsequent Moon Jae In era, he pointed out, the legislators imposed a ban on flying leaflets. It wasn't until the Supreme Court later declared the prohibition unconstitutional that the group could resume its operations unrestricted.

Neglect Only Aided the North's Nuclear Program

"By flattering and enriching the Kim family, all the despots there did was advance their nuclear weapons program," Choi remarked.

He described his government's neglect of the abductee issue and desultory attitude as a "dereliction of duty." Amid tempestuous inter-Korean relations, the issue has remained sidelined in domestic political and public discourse for decades.

In contrast, he said lawmakers, media, and ordinary citizens in Japan collaborate closely to raise awareness and work toward rescuing their abductees. "Persistent media coverage and bold actions by Tokyo officials is what led to their diplomatic triumph," he said.

In 2002, then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi visited North Korea to meet with his counterpart Kim Jong-il for the first summit between the two nations. In a bid to ease tensions, Kim acknowledged that North Korea had abducted 13 Japanese citizens (Japan officially claims 17, possibly many more) and issued an unprecedented apology.

*Junichiro Koizumi shakes hands with Jong-il during a 2002 summit in Pyongyang (©Cabinet Public Affairs Office of Japan)*

Five abductees eventually returned home in October 2002. It was a success widely attributed to Koizumi's decisive diplomacy, strengthened by intense media scrutiny and public pressure.

Choi said under Kim Dae-jung's presidency, a similar opportunity arose when he met with Kim Jong-il in 2000 for the first Inter-Korean summit. At the time, South Korea agreed to release 63 long-term, unconverted pro-North prisoners detained in the South. However, the issue of abductees was never addressed in the dialogue.

"Why wasn't there any talk for reciprocity?" Choi groaned. "What kind of a state stands idly by while an adversarial regime brutally seizes its own citizens?"

Taking On the Challenge

With little to no government support, he has been compelled to take matters into his own hands. Over the past decades, Choi ventured into and around North Korea, gathering information about the abductees and established covert contacts within the enemy territory. The dangers involved in such endeavors were immense, of course.

But the risk paid off. According to Choi, between 2000 and 2016, his organization successfully rescued nine abductees and 12 POWs and repatriated the remains of one POW from the North. He was also instrumental in obtaining the Pyongyang citizen register in 2011, which contained 2 million names and photos of those residing in the capital. From this, Choi uncovered 21 abductees and made this information public.

While Choi demanded stronger commitment from the government moving forward, he acknowledged positive strides made under current President Yoon Suk-yeol.

For the first time in history, the leaders of South Korea, Japan, and the United States jointly called for an immediate resolution to the North Korean abductions during the Camp David Summit, he said. This milestone, he believes, also led to Julie Turner, the US Special Envoy for North Korean Human Rights Issues, visiting sites in South Korea where five teenagers were kidnapped.

"When Ms Turner came to Korea in April, she uttered my father's name in one of her speeches," Choi reminisced. "I couldn't hold back my tears."

The Yoon government has also established a ministerial-level division focused on resolving the abduction issue. It is the first of its kind in the country.

When asked about future plans, Choi said he hopes to visit embassies worldwide, distributing flyers that highlight the plight of the abductees.

Authors: Kenji Yoshida and Jason Morgan