Over 100 North Koreans Reported Missing

The Transitional Justice Working Group (TJWG) has reported that over 100 North Koreans have gone missing after being detained by the secret police while attempting to defect or communicate with relatives in South Korea. The report, based on interviews with 62 North Korean escapees, identifies 113 individuals involved in 66 documented cases of enforced disappearances, with approximately 80% occurring within North Korea. Since Kim Jong Un's rise to power in 2011, around 30% of these cases have been recorded, with nearly 40% of the missing apprehended while trying to flee the country. More than 81% of those who vanished had been transferred to the Ministry of State Security (MSS). The report highlights the severe repercussions for any communication with South Korea, which is deemed a serious offense by the regime. It aims to emphasize these enforced disappearances not only as national crimes but also as transnational violations involving neighboring countries like China and Russia.