Silent Shadows: The Plight of Missing North Koreans

The Transitional Justice Working Group reported over 100 North Koreans are missing after being caught trying to defect or contact relatives in South Korea. These incidents are seen as enforced disappearances by North Korea's Ministry of State Security, impacting those caught within North Korea, China, and Russia.

Seoul-based human rights organization, the Transitional Justice Working Group, has unveiled a concerning report detailing the enforced disappearances of over 100 North Koreans. These individuals, primarily arrested after attempting to defect from the autocratic regime or for contacting relatives in South Korea, remain unaccounted for. The report highlights cases corroborated by 62 escapee interviews.

Since the conclusion of the Korean War in 1953, numerous North Koreans have defected, albeit many were captured and detained. The report also documents 113 people involved in 66 disappearance cases, with a staggering 80% apprehended within North Korea itself. Notably, the crackdown has intensified since Kim Jong Un's ascent to power in late 2011.

The Ministry of State Security (MSS) has reportedly been instrumental in these disappearances, with over 81% of cases arising post-transfer and detention by the MSS. Despite Pyongyang's aggressive stance against defectors, labeling them 'human scum', international human rights organizations continue to criticize the regime's harsh measures and seek justice for the vanished.

(With inputs from agencies.)