North Korea Abductions In Japan

[ashfire]

There is a manga that is coming out in three different languages to bring attention to kidnappings of Japanese and others by agents of North Korea.
The manga is about a thirteen year old school girl and what may have became of her.
Her parents for years wanted her brought back home, but the government of North Korea has said that she had married had a child and died years ago. Her parents feel she is still alive and North Korea will not let her leave.
I learn of this story through NHK English website for Sunday.

[ashfire]

To add to this post
12,000 copies of the manga "Megumi" will be issued through Japanese embassies.

[Doubleshadow]

Yup, I saw this on ANN. If you read about the history of the kidnappings it is more than little disturbing, including how the North Korean government actually thought they could force people they kidnapped to return by holding their children hostage. I also thought it was worth noting that Megumi Yokota's parents came to the US looking for President Bush's help in getting the North Koreans to be honest about what happened to their daughter. North Korean snatched South Koreans and people from Hong Kong as well. It's severely affronts my sense of justice that they can just get away with that since the international communities response has basically been strongly worded statements. I bet Kim Jong Ill is terribly impressed.

[Slytherine]

Jeez, that's awful! I must admit, I know VERY little about the trials that go in North Korea. I should probably do some research or something...*walks off*

[ashfire]

The Washington Post had a article about Robert Jenkins who deserted from the Army in 1965 while in South Korea and crossed over to North Korea after drinking.
He married a Japanese woman who was abducted from Japan carried out in a bag and given to him and told to rape her but treated her kindly.
From the story you get a idea what abductees must go through to live there.
Mr Jenkins and his wife and two daughters now live on Sado Island, Japan.
He has also wrote a book about his life in N Korea. His wife warns him that agents of N Korea could still get to him and could kill him for talking.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world

[minakichan]

If you read about the history of the kidnappings it is more than little disturbing, including how the North Korean government actually thought they could force people they kidnapped to return by holding their children hostage.

Ah, Japan. They'll publicize and release (for free!) a manga about another nation's atrocities towards their country, hoping to increase awareness and incite indignation, but when another manga points out Japan's own dirty past atrocities, it gets censored and suspended, and many Japanese citizens still refuse to admit that it actually occurred.

I'm not criticizing Yokota's family or the mangaka, but the Japanese attitude. Yes, it is very tragic and terrible that North Korea would kidnap and kill those 20-80 Japanese citizens, but I should think North Korea's nonchalant attitude towards that incident isn't much better than Japan's continued refusal to acknowledge the rape and murder of hundreds of thousands of Chinese civilians (and this doesn't even count events outside of Nanking, like in the rest of China or Korea).

Just saying.

[AsianBlossom]

Every country's got its own set of faults...and it only seems like certain countries are all too quick to point out those of other countries, don'tcha think? Seems like that could be what's going on with this book thing (although awareness is good...but sometimes, people have to take the plank out of their own eye before they go looking for the splinter in someone else's, right? That's right out of scripture, although I can't remember the verse...)

(And so there's no confusion, I'm not directing this at you or anyone else in this thread; I'm directing it at the countries of the world.)