By It is well known that North Korea has been holding hundreds of South Korean priosoners of war from the Korean War hostage and now we have a number to show how many of them have succeeded in escaping North Korea over the years:
Government data shows that 79 South Korean prisoners of war have escaped North Korea and returned home since a now-deceased first lieutenant fled to the South in 1994.
According to a Defense Ministry report submitted to the National Assembly Saturday for parliamentary inquiry purposes, 79 prisoners of war and 182 of their family members have returned to South Korea since 1994.
The ministry believes some 560 South Korean POWs remain alive in North Korea. The ministry is known to have secured a list of their names and other information from the escapees.
The ministry says it will continue to ask Pyongyang, during inter-Korean talks, to acknowledge the existence of South Korean POWs and to repatriate them. [KBS Global]
1:15 pm on October 4th, 2009 1
Another story that should shame the South Korean people. The soldiers fought for the South, were captured and then forgotten. I am sure each POW who is in the north has a different story and some may be shameful in themselves. But for a country to have forgotten them and not made it a major issue over 60 years, does not reflect highly on South Korea.