A/HRC/16/58 17. The Special Rapporteur notes with regret that the talks between the Red Cross organizations of the two sides on further reunions have been on hold since November 2010, in the wake of the artillery firing on Yeonpyeong Island. In the interest of the separated families, he urges the resumption of the family reunion process and calls for more regular and frequent reunions in the months and years ahead. B. Cases of abduction immediately after the war and post-ceasefire 18. The exact number of persons from the Republic of Korea abducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea during the Korean War is not known at this time.4 In March 2002, the Korean War Abductees Family Union (KWAFU) began compiling the existing “List of Korean War Abducted Persons”. The list contains around 94,700 names with eight items of detail, including the name, sex, age, job, company and position, date and place of abduction, and address at the time of abduction.5 19. It is reported that around 88.2 per cent of all abductions were carried out during the first three months of the war (July, August and September of 1950).6 Furthermore, some 80.3 per cent of those abducted were either taken away from their home or near their homes,7 which indicates that these abductions were carried out intentionally and in an organized manner. Most of the abducted persons were men, but their jobs seemed to vary. Some of them were intellectuals, Government officials, policemen, soldiers, lawyers, prosecutors, national assemblymen, journalists, students, professors and teachers. 20. During the meetings with the Government of the Republic of Korea, NGO representatives and the families of the abductees, the Special Rapporteur’s attention was drawn to the fact that abductions of persons from the Republic of Korea did not end following the ceasefire. Several people continued to be abducted after the war: a total of 3,824 persons, a number of whom are fishermen, are reported to have been abducted and taken to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea since the ceasefire of the Korean War. They have allegedly been involuntarily held in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea as a result of their usefulness. A total of 3,310 of them have been returned to the Republic of Korea after being held for a period between six months and a year.8 In his interactions with NGOs, the Special Rapporteur has gathered information that an estimated 500 prisoners of war and another 500 persons abducted are currently in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Similar accounts are provided by close to 80 prisoners of war and 8 abducted persons who have managed to escape from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and return to the Republic of Korea. In a turnaround of events, however, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is currently denying the existence of any such abductees. 21. A number of initiatives have been taken by various actors since the compilation of the list by KWAFU in March 2002. On 23 July 2008, the National Human Rights Commission of Korea called on the Government of the Republic of Korea to enact a special law for the investigation into cases of abduction and compensation and relief for the 4 5 6 7 8 6 See Korea Institute for National Unification (KINU), White Paper on Human Rights in North Korea 2009, chap. V, sect. 1, “South Koreans Abducted and Detained in North Korea” (Seoul, 2009, KINU), p. 452. Ibid., p. 458. Ibid., p. 455. Ibid., p. 456. Ibid., p. 460.