Abductees' Families Offer to Halt Leaflet Campaign if President Lee Meets Them in Person

A group that sends anti-North Korea leaflets has requested a meeting with President Lee Jae-myung.

On June 16, Choi Seong-ryong, head of the Abductees' Families Association—a group that has been distributing leaflets on behalf of families of South Koreans abducted to the North—held a press conference in front of the Government Complex in Jongno, Seoul. He stated, "If President Lee personally meets and consoles the nonagenarian mothers of high school students abducted to North Korea, we will stop sending leaflets."

"We simply want the president to call our families and offer comfort," Choi said. "We hope the government will make efforts in inter-Korean dialogue, not necessarily to bring the abductees home, but at least to confirm whether they are alive."

Choi specifically requested a meeting between President Lee and two mothers: Kim Tae-ok and Kim Soon-rye, both in their 90s, whose sons—Lee Min-kyo and Hong Geon-pyo—were abducted from Hongdo Beach in South Jeolla Province in 1977 and 1978, respectively, when they were 18 years old. Both women have been waiting for decades without any news about their children.

"If President Lee would just share a meal with these grandmothers and offer some comfort, we will not only stop sending leaflets, but also cease all other hostile actions toward North Korea," Choi said. He also warned, "If the government ignores this request, the leaflet campaigns will continue."

At the press conference, Choi revealed a leaflet image that had been photoshopped to show North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in prison garb behind bars. The leaflets also contain photos and personal information of abductees, including contact information, in hopes of reaching North Korean residents. The South Korean government currently estimates that there are 516 post-war abductees still held in the North.

Meanwhile, on June 15, the Abductees' Families Association was booked by police while preparing a rally at Imjingak in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, after being found in possession of party-use helium gas. Police classified the gas as a hazardous substance under the Disaster and Safety Act and pursued charges in accordance with government guidelines that prohibit such materials in border areas.

The group had reported a series of rallies under the banner "Sending News to Abducted Families" to be held behind the Peace Land fence at Imjingak from June 14 to July 10. Police issued formal notices restricting the use of balloons and gases and deployed riot police and patrol officers to monitor the site 24/7.

Choi noted, "I've recently been reported by a civic group and will be questioned tomorrow at Songpa Police Station," adding, "If the government continues to ignore and suppress abductees' families, I plan to go to the National Cemetery—where my parents are buried—and conduct a symbolic burning of a doll representing Kim Jong-un and his followers."

He concluded by once again urging the president to respond, saying, "What we need first is not leaflets, but dialogue and comfort."

Photo=Yonhap News

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