[USFK Forums] English pamphlet on abductions updated for kin's U.S. trip [Kyodo]

[C. Y. Lee]

Uploaded by C. Y. Lee on Thursday, March 30, 2006

English pamphlet on abductions updated for kin's U.S. trip

Wednesday March 29, 7:00 PM

(Kyodo) _ The Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it has updated an English-language pamphlet on North Korea's abductions of Japanese nationals and presented copies of it to the abductees' relatives to take with them on a trip to the United States next month.

"I'd like to distribute (the pamphlets) to all those concerned so that their understanding on the abduction issue would be deepened," said Shigeru Yokota, who heads the group of abductees' families.

Yokota, whose daughter Megumi was abducted by North Korean agents in 1977 at age 13, made the comment at the outset of his meeting with Akiko Yamanaka, the ministry's parliamentary secretary, who was presented with the pamphlets at the Foreign Ministry.

The move comes before the abductee's relatives are to attend a public hearing of the U.S. Senate in late April to speak about the abduction issue.

The ministry had 3,000 copies of the pamphlet printed, of which about 100 were given to the group, ministry officials said.

According to the officials, the pamphlets will be distributed to foreign embassies in Japan and Japanese embassies and consulates abroad as well as international organizations as part of Japan's efforts to raise the profile of the abduction issue on a global scale.

The pamphlet, titled "Abductions of Japanese Citizens by North Korea -- Awaiting the Day When We Will Be Reunited," contains the latest developments on the abduction issue such as the outcome of the countries' bilateral talks in early February.

Tokyo and Pyongyang held bilateral talks on Feb. 4-8 under a new three-track format of separately addressing diplomatic normalization, the abduction and security issues, but made no progress on key issues including the abduction.

The pamphlet also contained information on those responsible for being involved in abducting Japanese citizens such as Sin Guang Su, a former North Korean agent, and Choe Sung Chol, an active one.

It also added information about Minoru Tanaka. Tanaka became the 16th person on the list of Japanese citizens Tokyo officially recognizes as having been abducted by North Korea.

Japan believes North Korea abducted 16 Japanese nationals during the 1970s and 80s. Five of the abductees have returned to Japan, and Tokyo has been demanding Pyongyang hand over the rest.

Of the 11, Pyongyang claims eight have died since entering North Korea and the remaining three never entered the country.

The abduction issue has been a barrier to Japan and North Korea normalizing diplomatic relations. The latest pamphlet is an updated version of one made in December 2004.

Yokota said he was told by the ministry that a Korean and Chinese version of the pamphlet is being considered.



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