Page 318 - 2020 Defence White Paper

[Chart 8-1] Repatriated POWs
(As of November 2020, unit: persons)
Year Total 1994 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
POWs 80 1 1 4 2 9 6 6 5
Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 - 2020
POWs 14 11 7 4 6 3 1 -

prevent their escape. As of the end of November 2020, it has been confirmed that 21
repatriated POWs are still alive.
The ROK government is making every effort to ensure the safe repatriation of
POWs and their families who escape from North Korea to a third country. When
a POW and his family members are known to have escaped from North Korea, a
government-wide POW task force is formed to guarantee their personal safety as part
of the protection extended to citizens abroad and to carry out tasks for their speedy
repatriation. In 2015, the "Act on the Repatriation, Treatment of the Republic of
Korea Armed Forces Prisoners of War" was revised to enable the ROK government
to assist in the repatriation of the remains of fallen POWs.
During the inter-Korean ministerial talks and Red Cross talks held following
the inter-Korean summit in June 2000, the two sides agreed to start discussing
and seeking solutions for the POW issue along with the separated family issue. In
February 2006, during the 7th inter-Korean Red Cross talks, the two sides agreed
to negotiate on and solve the issue of verifying whether those who went missing in
action and after the war are still alive in connection with the separated family issue.

This principle was reaffirmed during the 20th inter-Korean ministerial talks held in
February 2007 and the 8th inter-Korean Red Cross talks in April. So far, information
on 56 POWs (whether they are alive or have passed away) have been confirmed, and
18 of them have been reunited with their families. The ROK government continues
to make efforts to address the issue of POWs by including them in the scope of
separated families via the "3rd Master Plan for the Promotion of Exchanges Among
Separated Families in the Two Koreas" formulated in December 2019.
Going forward, the MND will continue to reinforce its cooperation with third
countries and relevant agencies to ensure the safe repatriation of POWs and their
families if they defect from North Korea, while resolving fundamental issues such
as verifying whether the POWs are alive and their repatriation through various inter-
Korean talks.

316 2020 Defense White Paper