Kim Byung-do (70), who was abducted by North Korea in 1973 and escaped 30 years later, has passed away 20 years after his return.
According to the South Gyeongsang Province police and the Association of Families of Post-War Abductees, Kim was found collapsed in the flower bed of his apartment in Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, around 7 a.m. on the 28th.
Kim was transported and treated by the 119 emergency services after the report, but he eventually passed away. The cause of death was identified as a cerebral hemorrhage in a police investigation.
In November 1973, he was abducted while working on the fishing boat “Daeyoungho” in the West Sea to collect cockles. He suffered hardships while being forced to labor on North Korean farms. After escaping North Korea with the help of abductee family organizations in 2003, he resided in his hometown of Tongyeong.
Upon his successful return, Kim had an emotional reunion with his family in the South, including a daughter who was less than 100 days old at the time of his abduction. Still, he passed away without being able to meet his family from North Korea again.
According to the abductee family organization, Kim’s wife, whom he left behind in North Korea when he escaped, had a chance to come to South Korea the following year. Still, she ultimately gave up, saying she “couldn’t leave their children behind.”
Kim missed his wife and children in North Korea, and he suggested to the Ministry of Unification whenever he had the opportunity that abductee returnees should also be included in the separated families and allowed to meet and visit each other.
Among the post-war abductees, 9 people have returned by escaping, and including Kim, 3 people have passed away so far.
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