Film on Japanese Abductees Describes Tears of Familie
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
The Embassy of Japan in South Korea gave a preview of a documentary on Japanese abductees and their families last Wednesday in central Seoul.
``Abduction: The Megumi Yokota Story'' which has not been released here describes the story of teenage girl Megumi Yokota kidnapped by North Korean spies and her family's efforts to rescue her.
``The abduction is a serious human-rights violation, which the Japanese government and people are interested in and making every effort to solve,'' Japanese Ambassador to Seoul Toshinori Shigeie said in an opening speech. ``Marking the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I hope this film screening would give a chance to raise awareness on human rights issues.''
The 13-year-old girl disappeared in Nov. 1977 on her way home from school.
She was believed to have left home but it was later revealed that she was abducted by North Korean agents as some North Korean defectors stated they saw her in the North.
Her father and mother have never stopped trying to get their daughter back for more than 30 years.
After Japan's then-Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro had a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, the secretive state confirmed Yokota committed suicide but remained silent over where her body was buried.
The film co-directed by Canadian journalists Chris Sheridan and Patty Kim in 2006 won numerous awards including Jury Prize, Best Documentary at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival; Best Documentary, Audience Award at the Slamdance Film Festival; and Best Documentary, Audience Award at the Omaha Film Festival.
North Korea admitted its agents kidnapped only 13 Japanese but according to unofficial statistics, the number of Japanese abductees is estimated up to 100.
Between 1970 and 1980, hundreds of South Koreans were also allegedly abducted by the neighboring country even though North Korea has refused to comment on the issue.
According to North Korean defectors and intelligence sources, the communist state kidnapped Japanese and South Koreans to help its agents carry out spy activities pretending to be nationals of those countries all over the world.
South and North Korea technically still remain at war since the Korean War (1950-53) ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty.