By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
A 66-year-old fisherman escaped from North Korea 33 years after being kidnapped and is currently under the protection of the South Korean consulate in Shenyang, China, the head of an abductee-related association said Monday.
Yoon Jong-su, a crew member of the fishing boat Cheonwang, was abducted in August 1975 and had lived in Gaecheon, South Pyeongan Province, according to Choi Sung-yong, the leader of the South Korean association of abductee family members in a press conference in Seoul.
``Yoon fled from the North early last month and entered the consulate on May 20,'' he said.
Yoon had worked in a farming machine workplace since 1976 and married Shin Su-hee, a Korean-Japanese woman there, Choi said.
The abductee had a 27-year-old daughter named Ji-hyang but had to left her behind to avoid suspicions from North Korean authorities.
He and his wife who was in failing health reached Hyesan, Ryanggang Province, three days after they left home but he had to cross the Tumen River alone, Choi added. He did not have enough time to help his wife cross the river as they learned that they were already on the wanted list.
Yoon found out his daughter and wife had both been arrested after he sent someone to the reclusive state in a bid to extricate them as soon as he crossed the river, the association head said.
During the press conference, Yoon's elder and younger brothers called on the government and related agencies to ensure the safety of the two detained women and to help them come to Seoul.
The abductee was one of the 33 fishermen aboard the boat and the fourth one who has made it home. Ko Myung-sup, 64, Choi Uk-il, 68 and Lee Han-seop, 60, escaped from the North and successfully returned home between 2005 and 2007.
According to the Unification Ministry, 486 South Koreans have been kidnapped by North Korea since the end of the Korean War (1950-53) and most of them were captured while fishing.
North Korea has officially admitted that its agents kidnapped 13 Japanese citizens between 1977 and 1983. Japan officially states that 16 people _ eight men and eight women _ had been abducted.