Unification minister vows efforts for return of South Koreans detained by North

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Published: 21 Dec. 2024, 16:20 Updated: 21 Dec. 2024, 16:23

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho speaks at a press conference in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi, on Dec. 6. [UNIFICATION MINISTRY]

Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho vowed Saturday to work to ensure the return of South Koreans being held in North Korea amid uncertainty over their fate after years of detention.

Kim made the pledge in an end-of-year gathering of the Christian Council of North Korea in western Seoul, as six South Koreans, including three missionaries, remain detained in North Korea for eight to 11 years.

"The government will continue to make efforts to confirm whether those detained are living and for them to return home under the firm principle of protecting our citizens," he said.

Kim also said the government is working continuously to ensure North Korean defectors can comfortably settle in South Korea, calling it a task to be jointly tackled by religious groups, companies and society in general.

Yonhap