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| Han Jae-bok, right, a former South Korean prisoner of war who was captured by the North Koreans during the Korean War, stands during a press conference in 2020 after the court ruled in favor of him, ordering North Korea to compensate him for his forced labor. Korea Times photo by Seo Jae-hoon |
By Lee Yeon-woo
Han Jae-bok, a former South Korean prisoner who was detained in North Korea for five decades before escaping, died on Wednesday. He was 89.
With his death, the number of former prisoners of war living in South Korea is now 13.
Han was born in Jeongeup City, North Jeolla Province in 1934. At the age of 17, he voluntarily joined the South Korean army after the outbreak of the Korean War on June 25, 1950. He was captured in North Korea in 1951. He was forced to work in coal mines in North Korea from Sept. 1953 until he escaped to South Korea in 2001.
After his return, he constantly spoke out about the repatriation of South Korean prisoners of war while working as a chairman of the Association of Returned Korean POWs.
In 2016, Han received international attention after filing a lawsuit against North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, seeking damages for his forced labor. In 2020, the court ruled in favor of Han and asked North Korea to compensate 21 million won ($16,608). It was the first time that a Korean court ruled against North Korea regarding the exploitation of prisoners of war.
Han could not secure actual compensation or an apology from North Korea during his lifetime. He had been in dispute with the Foundation of Inter-Korea Cooperation ― a South Korean institution that pays copyright fees to North Korea for the use of North Korean footage ― for compensation payment on behalf of North Korea. He lost the first trial last January.
During his life, Han expressed regret that the issue of prisoners of war has been left out of the discussion.
"I feel sad that nobody pays attention to South Korean prisoners of war except for Dream makers for NK (a NK human rights civil organizations)," he said after he won the case in 2020.
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