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July 28, 2007
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Relatives of South Koreans kidnapped by North Korea threw chairs and tables yesterday, causing the cancellation of a public hearing set up to discuss compensation for them. “The laws do not reflect the families’ opinion at all,” some yelled inside a Paichai University building in Jeongdong, central Seoul, as the 10 a.m. hearing was about to start. The National Assembly in April decided to compensate the relatives up to 45 million won ($48,820). According to sources, the Unification Ministry persuaded the Budget Ministry to raise the amount from 10 million won to 45 million won. At yesterday’s hearing, government officials planned to explain how the money would be allocated. The families asked for 300 million won, saying they have suffered from discrimination by the government just because their family members are in North Korea. According to official data from the Unification Ministry, 3,790 South Korean citizens have been abducted to the North since the Korean War, and 485 have not been able to return. After the canceled hearing, the Families of Abducted and Detained in North Korea, an organization of the family members, separately filed a complaint against Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung at the Seoul Central Public Prosecutors’ Office. The families argued that Lee defamed the families when he made earlier comments that some of the abductees “voluntarily” crossed the board. During a meeting at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club last month, Lee said, “Among those kidnapped, some voluntarily crossed the border and they also had other various political motives.” A family member who declined to be named said the group wanted to meet Lee in person. “He did not agree to meet us. So we decided to file a complaint,” the person said yesterday. By Kim Soe-jung Staff Writer/ Yonhap |
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