Which South Korean fishing crewmen abducted by North Korea in 1973 were officially recognized?

The unification ministry recognized Jo Gi-won, Kim Yang-hun and Kim Dong-ho. They were forcibly taken while aboard the Daeyeong near Yeonpyeong.

How many South Koreans abducted to North Korea after the Korean War have returned, and how many are thought to remain there?

Of the 3,838 South Koreans taken to the North against their will after the 1953 Armistice Agreement, 3,319 have returned. An estimated 519 are thought to remain in North Korea.

S. Korea officially recognizes 3 fishing crewmen abducted by N. Korea in 1973

Q: Why was the Daeyeong not previously counted among South Korean boats whose crews were abducted by North Korea?

The Daeyeong had not been included among the boats whose sailors were abducted until Kim Byeong-do, one of its crew members, returned to South Korea in 2003, according to an association of postwar abductees’ family members.

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Summary

South Korea’s unification ministry recognized three fishing crewmen abducted by North Korea near Yeonpyeong in 1973, bringing the government-recognized postwar abductee total to 519. The ministry added Jo Gi-won, Kim Yang-hun and Kim Dong-ho to the list of abductees eligible for consolation payments. It will provide 81 million won to Jo’s family and is seeking the families of the other two men.

Key Facts

The crewmen were taken from the fishing boat Daeyeong while it was near the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong.
The Daeyeong had not been counted among boats whose sailors were abducted until crew member Kim Byeong-do returned to South Korea in 2003, according to an association of postwar abductees’ family members.
After the 1953 Armistice Agreement, 3,838 South Koreans were taken to the North against their will.
Of those taken after the war, 3,319 have returned to South Korea, while an estimated 519 are thought to remain in the North.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 2, 2026 3:40 pm KST

Kim Byeong-do, a crewmember of the Daeyeong, a fishing boat forcibly taken to North Korea in 1973, is welcomed upon arriving in South Korea. Yonhap

South Korea has officially recognized three fishing crewmen abducted by North Korea decades ago, Seoul's unification ministry said Monday, bringing the total number of government-recognized abductees since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War to 519.

The ministry added Jo Gi-won, Kim Yang-hun and Kim Dong-ho, who were forcibly taken to the North while aboard their fishing boat, the Daeyeong, near the South Korean border island of Yeonpyeong in 1973, to the list of post-war abductees eligible for "consolation" payments under a relevant law.

It decided to provide 81 million won ($60,290) in consolation money to Jo's family members, while it is seeking to find the family members of the other abductees.

The Daeyeong had not been counted among the boats whose sailors were abducted by the North until Kim Byeong-do, one of its crewmembers, returned to South Korea in 2003, according to an association of post-war abductees' family members.

After the Armistice Agreement was signed to halt the Korean War in 1953, 3,838 South Koreans were taken to the North against their will. Of them, 3,319 have returned to the South, while an estimated 519 are thought to be held in the North.

The abductees include passengers and crew aboard a Korean Air plane hijacked in 1969, as well as fishermen who were abducted while operating near the inter-Korean maritime boundary.

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