542 S Korean POWs Still in North

23 September, 2005

Seoul says 542 South Korean POWs still captive in North

Seoul, 23 September: A total of 542 South Korean prisoners of war (POWs) are still captive in North Korea, more than 50 years after the Korean War ended in a fragile armistice, a government report said Friday [23 September].

In a report to parliament, the Defence Ministry also said 758 South Korean POWs have already died in the North and 223 others remained missing.

The report said 58 POWs have fled the North and returned to the South since 1994. As recently as August, four South Korean POWs, now all in their 70s, arrived in the South via China.

North Korea has denied holding any South Korean POWs.

The two Koreas are still technically in a state of war, as the armistice that ended the three-year Korean War was not converted into a peace treaty.

Source: Yonhap news agency, Seoul

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