Third Truth and Reconciliation Commission Opens Inquiry Into Abducted-and-Returned Fishermen Case

South Korea’s third Truth and Reconciliation Commission has chosen the case of fishermen abducted to North Korea and later returned as its first investigation launched on its own authority. The commission said earlier inquiries found that returnees suffered unlawful investigations, blanket criminal prosecutions and continuing surveillance after coming home.

The commission said authorities applied the Fisheries Act and the Anti-Communist Act to the fishermen and fabricated accusations that they were spies, leaving victims with damage that was difficult to repair. It said the case also destroyed the lives of family members, making it necessary to correct the misuse of the legal system and prevent similar abuses.

At a plenary meeting in Seoul on Aug. 8, the commission opened investigations into 118 matters involving 1,043 cases. They include 655 cases involving civilian deaths before and after the Korean War, 181 human-rights cases from the period after liberation and before the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission in November 2001, and 207 cases involving group detention facilities and overseas adoption.

The commission also opened an investigation into an alleged security agency operation involving the fabrication of a spy case, as well as allegations that state agencies worked with Korea Telecom from 1988 to monitor union members and interfere in union elections. Another case concerns alleged state interference in labor-union activities in March 1987 by authorities in Anyang.

The commission said applications for truth-finding investigations will remain open until Feb. 25, 2028. Victims, relatives and people who learned about the cases may apply in person or by mail, while overseas-adoption cases may also be submitted by email.

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The first- and second-term investigations confirmed that the abducted-and-returned fishermen were subjected to irreparable harm after authorities applied the Fisheries Act and Anti-Communist Act to them and fabricated them as spies.