The Forgotten South Korean Prisoners Of War Who Sacrificed And Suffered For Seven Decades For Korean Freedom
ByDavid MaxwellPublishedJuly 21, 2022
Editor’s Note: This essay is adapted from the prepared remarks of the author for the “International Forum on Urging the Repatriation of Korean Prisoners of War and Human Rights Complaints” in Seoul, Korea on July 20, 2022
The sixty-ninth anniversary of the Korean War Armistice is July 27, 2022. The war is known as the “Forgotten War.” One of the most forgotten aspects of the war are the South Korean prisoners of war who were never returned to the Republic of Korea. Although 8,134 South Korean prisoners were returned at the time of the Armistice, an estimated 50,000 South Korean soldiers were forced to remain in the north. These prisoners were subject to a life of extreme hardship mostly mining coal for the regime in North Korea. In 2014 there were an estimated 500 still alive. Over the years, some 80 have escaped, bringing the truth about what happened to these Korean patriots who fought for freedom and were sentenced by Kim Il Sung to suffer for their sacrifices.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/07/the-forgotten-south-korean-prisoners-of-war-who-sacrificed-and-suffered-for-seven-decades-for-korean-freedom/
