Since the beginning of the Korean War on June 25th, 1950, DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea)’s regime abducted approximately 200,000 civilians and soldiers.  In 1946, Kim Il-sung stated that “not only do we need to search out all of Northern Chosun’s intelligentsia to solve the issue of a shortage of intelligentsia, but we also have to bring Southern Chosun’s intelligentsia [to the North].”  Following this time, many citizens were abducted during the Korean War. However, the exact number of missing persons remains unknown. The Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea states that approximately 80,000 civilians were abducted by DPRK forces during the Korean War with tens of thousands kept when they should have been released.

Following the ceasefire, between August 5 and December 23, 1953, prisoners of war exchanges took place between the North and South in the Operation Big Switch. According to the U.N. Command, 82,000 members of the Korean Armed Forces were estimated to be missing in the DPRK. However, only 8,343 soldiers were returned to the South during this exchange. Of the 82,000 missing soldiers, 13,836 were assumed to have been killed in action while the status of 19,409 soldiers was unconfirmed and they were assumed as missing in action. Many of these soldiers were forced to work in coal mines, factories, and farm villages to help rebuild the DPRK after the Korean War. Approximately 80 prisoners of war have managed to defect back to South Korea, but the others are still detained. The remains of only six soldiers have been handed back to South Korea.

According to the White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea there have been at least 143 abductions, and at least 3,835 people were abducted since the end of the Korean War. After being held for six months to a year, 3,310 of these people were returned. After 2000, nine more defected back but 516 remain missing. 95% of the 516 still missing were taken between 1955 and 1977; 133 of them were taken in 1968 alone. Only 3 of the 516 still detained were taken after 1995.

In 1959, more than 93,000 persons were coerced by false promises to move to the DPRK from Japan. However, a few years after they had moved, they were forced to cut off contact with their families in Japan. According to the COI’s findings, many of these people ended up in political prison camps or other places of detention in the DPRK where they were subjected to other crimes against humanity. Over a hundred citizens of Japan, South Korea, and other states were victims of planned abductions by special operations and intelligence agents of DPRK. Around 25 non-South Korean abductions were from Europe, the Middle East and other parts of Asia who were brought to the DPRK to become wives to other foreigners already living in the DPRK.

Although the DPRK has officially admitted to kidnapping 13 Japanese nationals, it is estimated that in total, 17 were kidnapped. Other sources estimate that there are as many as 450 suspected cases of Japanese abductions by North Koreans, with only five returning in 2002. After that, the only sign of life of the Japanese abductees was the North Korean regime’s declaration of the death of eight of them. To support these claims North Korea has handed over several things to the Japanese officials including the remains of the dead Japanese abductees. However, the Japanese government evaluated the remains and deemed them unreliable as they could not be identified.