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Opinion to call for fact-finding investigations to provide remedies and compensations to those abducted by North Korea and the implementation of the recommendation to enact a special law [2004] KRNHRC 37 (26 April 2004)

On April 26, 2004, the Commission recommended that a Special Act on the Families of
Those Abducted by North Korea be enacted. However, no such law was enacted and no
investigation was made in relation to the compensation for those abducted by North Korea
during the Korean War. Therefore, families of those abducted by North Korea during the
Korean War asked the Commission to make a recommendation again that a special law be
enacted to provide compensations to those abducted by North Korea.

The Commission found that Korean government's responsibility to protect its citizens
cannot be reduced or exempted, even though there were difficulties finding out the
conditions of those abducted by North Korea. As those abducted by North Korea during or
after the Korean War were suffering the same damage and pain, regardless of the time
when they were abducted, the Commission presented the opinion that the National
Assembly and the Korean government should immediately enact a special law similar to
the Act on Compensation for Those Abducted by North Korea after the Korean War to
provide compensation to those abducted by North Korea during the Korean War.

It presented its opinion that the Chairman of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister
should conduct an investigation into human rights conditions of those abducted by North
Korea during the Korean War and their families, and enact a special law to recover the
reputation of those abducted by North Korea during the Korean War and their families.
Currently, the Bill on Investigation into Abduction by North Korea during the Korean
War and Recovery of Reputation of Those Abducted by North Korea during the Korean
War is laid before the National Assembly.