Ruling party reveals information about two N. Korean fishermen

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) has revealed information about the two North Korean fishermen. They were forcibly repatriated to Pyongyang under the former Moon Jae-in administration despite expressing their will to surrender in November 2019.

Rep. Ha Tae-gyeong, Ji Seong-ho, and Hong Seok-jun of the PPP, who are visiting the U.S. to attend the IPCNK general meeting, issued a statement on Wednesday (local time) and said, “We decided to “disclose their basic information including their name, age, and hometown as we cannot delay identifying their whereabouts.” According to the statement, one of the fishermen is a man named Woo Bom Son, born in Chongjin of North Hamgyong Province in 1997. In the footage disclosed by the Unification Ministry, Woo was seen banging his head on the ground in defiance of the forced repatriation. The other man is Kim Hyon Uk, who was born in 1996 and also hailed from Chongjin.

“Three years have passed since the incident, but it remains unclear whether they are alive or not. The North should disclose the current status of the two young men, who were forced back to the regime irrespective of their will, to the United Nations and international community,” Rep. Ha Tae-gyeong said. “The U.S. is investigating the forced repatriation of the two North Korean fishermen.” On Thursday, Mr. Ha said on his Facebook post, sharing the news of his talks with Uzra Zeya, the Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights in the Biden administration.


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