Unification minister vows efforts to address issue of abductees held in N. Korea

This photo shows Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, center, holding a meeting with families of abductees held in North Korea, at his office in Seoul, Friday. Yonhap

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young met with families of abductees held in North Korea and pledged to make progress on the issue, including efforts to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.

The meeting with members of a group representing families of those abducted by North Korea came after the group agreed in June to halt its leaflet campaigns toward North Korea, following an appeal by the Lee Jae Myung government aimed at reducing tensions and improving inter-Korean relations.

Choi Seong-ryong, the group's leader, reaffirmed his promise to "never do anything to provoke North Korea," while urging the minister to resolve the issue of the abductees instead.

Chung expressed gratitude for the group's cooperation with the Lee government, pledging that the government "will do its utmost to open dialogue with North Korea and make progress on the issues of abductees and prisoners of war."

Kim Tae-joo, the wife of the chief fisherman on a South Korean fishing boat abducted by North Korea in 1987, broke into tears during the meeting with the minister. She dropped to her knees and pleaded for the minister's help in finding out whether her husband is still alive in North Korea, sobbing, "It's been forty years since all contact with my husband was cut off."

Chung noted, "There is no country in the world suffering pain like this," emphasizing that dialogue with North Korea must resume to address the grievances of the families.