More positive developments from South Korea’s president-elect Lee Myung-bak:

As it was being briefed a few days ago by the Defense Ministry, president-elect Lee Myung-bak’s Transition Committee said it views resolving the plight of South Korean prisoners of war held in North Korea as a prime responsibility of the state, and the situation demands priority. As a result, the Defense Ministry has decided to consistently raise this issue in military talks with North Korea and to take steps to verify the existence of South Korean POWs in North Korea and seek their return.

Since 1990, 59 South Korean POWs have fled North Korea and returned to the South. And based on their accounts, around 560 more are still believed to be held. Yet North Korea is refusing to even acknowledge the existence of South Korean POWs there. Their attitude will not change overnight.

But still, that South Korea has announced that it is its prime responsibility to bring back the POWs is of tremendous significance. That’s because it is a pledge by the government to carry out its basic responsibilities to its people. A country that is incapable of protecting and saving its own people is not worthy of existence. And a country like that has nothing to say to its people who were imprisoned while fighting for their homeland. [Chosun Ilbo]

Much like with the whitewashing of the 2002 West Sea naval battle it has been disgraceful the treatment the Roh Moo-hyun administration treated the plight of South Korean POWs in North Korea. Lee Myung-bak has vowed to honor the West Sea naval battle veterans and it is great to see that the Lee administration is also planning to advocate for their return. Hopefully demanding the return of kidnapped South Korean citizens will be next on the agenda so we won’t have to see 66 year old grandmas lead rescue operations for their kidnapped husbands again while the Korean government does nothing.