▲ Vice Unification Minister Kim Nam-jung reads a welcoming speech written by President Lee Jae Myung during a remembrance day to commemorate the Korean War abductees in Paju, just north of Seoul, on June 28, 2026. (Yonhap)

Lee-NK abductees

President Lee pledges to resolve N.K. abductee issue through dialogue

SEOUL, June 28 (Yonhap) -- President Lee Jae Myung on Sunday vowed to make efforts to resolve the issue of South Korean citizens abducted by North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War through "dialogue and cooperation."

"The government will not allow the issue of abductees to be buried in history," Lee said in the message read by Vice Unification Minister Kim Nam-jung on his behalf at an event marking the Korean War Abductees Remembrance Day in Paju, north of Seoul.

"Through dialogue and cooperation, (the government) will seek to make sustained efforts to achieve a practical resolution," Lee said.

Lee expressed regret that the family members left behind have missed the abductees held in North Korea for over 70 years since the Korean War, while vowing to shift the "hostility and confrontation" between the two Koreas to "peaceful coexistence."

Sunday's event marked the second of its kind since the remembrance day was designated by law in late 2024 to be held annually on June 28.

The event was attended by some 300 personnel, including the vice unification minister, family members of abductees and officials of related agencies.

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