South Korea's presidential office on Thursday urged North Korea to immediately release six South Korean citizens who have been in jails in North Korea for more than a decade. Lee expressed shock after knowing the fate of six missing men, saying, "It's my first time hearing about this."
Lee later confirmed that the six nationals -- including Christian missionaries and North Korean defectors -- have been held in Pyongyang since 2013 on charges of espionage, among others. Four of the accused have been named for carrying out espionage inside North Korea, a charge that carries the death penalty in the Kim Jong Un-led regime.
Relations between the two bitter enemies have further deteriorated after the United States announced it would build a nuclear submarine construction site in Seoul last month. The statement from the presidential office said, “In the ongoing hostile environment where dialogue between the two Korean nations remains suspended, the suffering of the common people caused by divisions continues.”
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"The government will work to address the matter through efforts to swiftly resume inter-Korean dialogue,” it said. On Wednesday, Lee asked his national security adviser (NSA), Wi Sung-lac, for assistance in answering the question.
WI confirmed that there have been instances of South Koreans not returning home from North Korea and “other cases of mysterious disappearances”. Lee’s lack of knowledge about the cases drew strong domestic criticism, with some domestic outlets calling him a “clueless president”.
Seoul's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean relations, said Thursday it last raised the issue with Pyongyang in 2018. The ministry on Thursday informed the Red Cross that “they were reviewing and raising the issue with the relevant authority in the North.” However, Pyongyang has not yet issued an official response to Lee’s overtures.
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