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Yahoo
3 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
75 years after he was kidnapped to North Korea, these sisters still hope to see their brother
Min Young-jae has not seen or heard anything about her eldest brother for 75 years. He was 19 and she was only 2 when, during the early days of the Korean War, he was kidnapped to the North. 'We were known in the neighborhood as a happy family,' the now 77-year-old told CNN, as her older sister Min Jeong-ja nodded in agreement. Their peaceful days were shattered on June 25, 1950, when North Korea invaded the South. The three-year war would kill more than 847,000 troops and about 522,000 civilians from both sides, and tear apart more than 100,000 families, including Min's. After the war, the family kept the rusting doors of their tile-roofed house open, in hopes that their eldest would one day return. But over time, barbed wire has been installed between the two Koreas, and a modern apartment complex has replaced the house. Though 75 years have passed without a single word about or from the brother, Min and her siblings remain hopeful that they will hear about him some day. Or, if not him, then his children or grandchildren. The family lived in Dangnim village, nestled between green mountains on the western side of Chuncheon city, nearly 100 kilometers northeast of Seoul. It was a village of chirping birds, streaming water and chugging tractors. It was also dangerously close to the 38th parallel, which divided the peninsula after World War II. Min Young-jae, the youngest of seven, does not remember fighting with any of her siblings growing up; only sharing tofu that her parents made, splashing in the stream and being carried around on her eldest brother's shoulders. Handsome, kind and smart, Min Young-sun was studying at the Chuncheon National University of Education, following in the footsteps of his father, the principal of Dangnim Elementary School. 'His nickname was 'Math Whiz.' He excelled in math, even his classmates called him Math Whiz,' Min Jeong-ja, the fifth child of the family, said. Some days, students followed him all the way home, as he commuted via train and boat, asking him to teach math, the sisters recalled. The sisters remember Min Young-sun as a caring brother. They caught fish and splashed in the nearby stream, now widely covered with reeds and weeds and almost out of water. 'We grew up in real happiness,' Min Jeong-ja said. Living near the frontier between the newly separated Koreas – backed by the rival ideological forces of communism or capitalism – Min's family was among the first to experience the horrors of the Korean War. When Kim Il Sung's North Korean troops invaded, Min Jeong-ja remembers seeing her grandmother running in tears, with a cow in tow, screaming: 'We're in a war!' 'We all spread out and hid in the mountains, because we were scared. One day, we hid the 4-year-old, Young-jae, in the bushes and forgot to bring her back because we had so many siblings. When we returned that night, she was still there, not even crying,' Min Jeong-ja said. While the family was running in and out of the mountains, taking shelter from the troops coming from the North, Min Young-sun was kidnapped, taken to the North by his teacher. 'The teacher gathered smart students and hauled them (away). He took several students, tens of them. Took them to the North,' Min Jeong-ja said. It is unknown why the teacher would have kidnapped the students to North Korea, but the South Korean government assumes that Pyongyang had abducted South Koreans to supplement its military. 'People called the teacher a commie,' Min Jeong-ja said. That heartache was soon followed by another: the death of the second-eldest brother. He died of shock and pain, in deep sorrow from the kidnap of his brother, according to the sisters. 'The grief was huge. Our parents lost two sons… imagine how heartbreaking that would be,' Min Jeong-ja said. For their father, the pain of losing two sons was overwhelming. He developed a panic disorder, she said, and would struggle to work for the rest of his life. 'He couldn't go outside; he stayed home all the time. And because he was hugely shocked, he struggled going through day-to-day life. So, our mom went out (to work) and suffered a lot,' Min Young-jae said. The mother jumped into earning a living for the remaining five children and her husband. Still, every morning she prayed for Min Young-sun, filling a bowl with pure water as part of a Korean folk ritual and leaving the first scoop of the family's rice serving that day in a bowl for a son whom she believed would return one day. 'She couldn't move house; in case the brother cannot find his way back home. She wouldn't let us change anything of the house, not even the doors. That's how she waited for him… We waited for so long, and time just passed,' Min Jeong-ja said. Min Jeong-ja was 8 years old when the war started, but witnessed brutality that would overwhelm many adults. 'So many kids died. When I went out to the river to wash clothes, I occasionally saw bodies of children floating,' she recalled. She remembers witnessing North Korean soldiers lining up people in a barley field, and shooting at them with submachine guns. 'Then one by one, they fell on the barley field.' 'I saw too much. At one point – I didn't even know if the soldier was a South Korean or North Korean – but I saw beheaded remains.' The Min family is one of many torn apart by the war. More than 134,000 people are still waiting to hear from their loved ones believed to be in North Korea, which is now one of the world's most reclusive states, with travel between the two countries nigh-on impossible. Years after the Korean War, the two Koreas discussed organizing reunions for the separated families that have been identified from both sides through the Red Cross and both governments. The first reunion happened in 1985, more than 30 years after the ceasefire agreement was signed, and the annual reunions kicked off in 2000, when many first-hand war victims were still alive, but occasionally halted when tensions escalated on the peninsula. Once the two governments agree on a reunion date, one of the two Koreas selects families, prioritizing the elderly and immediate relatives, then shares the list with the other, which would cross check the family on its side to confirm the list of around 100 members. The selected families would meet at an office specifically built for reunions at the Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea. The Min siblings applied to the Red Cross at least five times and listed themselves under the South Korean government as a separated family. But there was never any word on their brother's whereabouts from the other side. As 75 years passed, the siblings grew up, got married, and formed their own families – but questions about their stolen brother linger. Even worse, the annual reunions of separated families have been halted since 2018, following failed summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, while first-hand victims of the war age and pass away. The Kumgang resort was dismantled by the North in 2022, also amid strained tensions. But the siblings, following their parents' wishes, still hope to connect with Min Young-sun, who would now be 94 years old. 'My brother Young-sun, it's already been 75 years,' Min Young-jae said into a CNN camera, taking her glasses off so that he would recognize his sister's face. 'It's been a long time since we were separated, but I would be so grateful if you're alive. And if you're not, I still would love to meet your children. I want to share the love of family, remembering the happy days of the past… I love you, thank you.' She and the siblings remember the kidnapped brother by singing his favorite song, 'Thinking of My Brother,' a children's song about a brother that never returned. 'My brother, you said you would come back from Seoul with silk shoes,' Min Young-jae sang, while her sister wiped away tears.
CNN
7 hours ago
- General
- CNN
75 years after he was kidnapped to North Korea, these sisters still hope to see their brother
Min Young-jae has not seen or heard anything about her eldest brother for 75 years. He was 19 and she was only 2 when, during the early days of the Korean War, he was kidnapped to the North. 'We were known in the neighborhood as a happy family,' the now 77-year-old told CNN, as her older sister Min Jeong-ja nodded in agreement. Their peaceful days were shattered on June 25, 1950, when North Korea invaded the South. The three-year war would kill more than 847,000 troops and about 522,000 civilians from both sides, and tear apart more than 100,000 families, including Min's. After the war, the family kept the rusting doors of their tile-roofed house open, in hopes that their eldest would one day return. But over time, barbed wire has been installed between the two Koreas, and a modern apartment complex has replaced the house. Though 75 years have passed without a single word about or from the brother, Min and her siblings remain hopeful that they will hear about him some day. Or, if not him, then his children or grandchildren. The family lived in Dangnim village, nestled between green mountains on the western side of Chuncheon city, nearly 100 kilometers northeast of Seoul. It was a village of chirping birds, streaming water and chugging tractors. It was also dangerously close to the 38th parallel, which divided the peninsula after World War II. Min Young-jae, the youngest of seven, does not remember fighting with any of her siblings growing up; only sharing tofu that her parents made, splashing in the stream and being carried around on her eldest brother's shoulders. Handsome, kind and smart, Min Young-sun was studying at the Chuncheon National University of Education, following in the footsteps of his father, the principal of Dangnim Elementary School. 'His nickname was 'Math Whiz.' He excelled in math, even his classmates called him Math Whiz,' Min Jeong-ja, the fifth child of the family, said. Some days, students followed him all the way home, as he commuted via train and boat, asking him to teach math, the sisters recalled. The sisters remember Min Young-sun as a caring brother. They caught fish and splashed in the nearby stream, now widely covered with reeds and weeds and almost out of water. 'We grew up in real happiness,' Min Jeong-ja said. Living near the frontier between the newly separated Koreas – backed by the rival ideological forces of communism or capitalism – Min's family was among the first to experience the horrors of the Korean War. When Kim Il Sung's North Korean troops invaded, Min Jeong-ja remembers seeing her grandmother running in tears, with a cow in tow, screaming: 'We're in a war!' 'We all spread out and hid in the mountains, because we were scared. One day, we hid the 4-year-old, Young-jae, in the bushes and forgot to bring her back because we had so many siblings. When we returned that night, she was still there, not even crying,' Min Jeong-ja said. While the family was running in and out of the mountains, taking shelter from the troops coming from the North, Min Young-sun was kidnapped, taken to the North by his teacher. 'The teacher gathered smart students and hauled them (away). He took several students, tens of them. Took them to the North,' Min Jeong-ja said. It is unknown why the teacher would have kidnapped the students to North Korea, but the South Korean government assumes that Pyongyang had abducted South Koreans to supplement its military. 'People called the teacher a commie,' Min Jeong-ja said. That heartache was soon followed by another: the death of the second-eldest brother. He died of shock and pain, in deep sorrow from the kidnap of his brother, according to the sisters. 'The grief was huge. Our parents lost two sons… imagine how heartbreaking that would be,' Min Jeong-ja said. For their father, the pain of losing two sons was overwhelming. He developed a panic disorder, she said, and would struggle to work for the rest of his life. 'He couldn't go outside; he stayed home all the time. And because he was hugely shocked, he struggled going through day-to-day life. So, our mom went out (to work) and suffered a lot,' Min Young-jae said. The mother jumped into earning a living for the remaining five children and her husband. Still, every morning she prayed for Min Young-sun, filling a bowl with pure water as part of a Korean folk ritual and leaving the first scoop of the family's rice serving that day in a bowl for a son whom she believed would return one day. 'She couldn't move house; in case the brother cannot find his way back home. She wouldn't let us change anything of the house, not even the doors. That's how she waited for him… We waited for so long, and time just passed,' Min Jeong-ja said. Min Jeong-ja was 8 years old when the war started, but witnessed brutality that would overwhelm many adults. 'So many kids died. When I went out to the river to wash clothes, I occasionally saw bodies of children floating,' she recalled. She remembers witnessing North Korean soldiers lining up people in a barley field, and shooting at them with submachine guns. 'Then one by one, they fell on the barley field.' 'I saw too much. At one point – I didn't even know if the soldier was a South Korean or North Korean – but I saw beheaded remains.' The Min family is one of many torn apart by the war. More than 134,000 people are still waiting to hear from their loved ones believed to be in North Korea, which is now one of the world's most reclusive states, with travel between the two countries nigh-on impossible. Years after the Korean War, the two Koreas discussed organizing reunions for the separated families that have been identified from both sides through the Red Cross and both governments. The first reunion happened in 1985, more than 30 years after the ceasefire agreement was signed, and the annual reunions kicked off in 2000, when many first-hand war victims were still alive, but occasionally halted when tensions escalated on the peninsula. Once the two governments agree on a reunion date, one of the two Koreas selects families, prioritizing the elderly and immediate relatives, then shares the list with the other, which would cross check the family on its side to confirm the list of around 100 members. The selected families would meet at an office specifically built for reunions at the Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea. The Min siblings applied to the Red Cross at least five times and listed themselves under the South Korean government as a separated family. But there was never any word on their brother's whereabouts from the other side. As 75 years passed, the siblings grew up, got married, and formed their own families – but questions about their stolen brother linger. Even worse, the annual reunions of separated families have been halted since 2018, following failed summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi, while first-hand victims of the war age and pass away. The Kumgang resort was dismantled by the North in 2022, also amid strained tensions. But the siblings, following their parents' wishes, still hope to connect with Min Young-sun, who would now be 94 years old. 'My brother Young-sun, it's already been 75 years,' Min Young-jae said into a CNN camera, taking her glasses off so that he would recognize his sister's face. 'It's been a long time since we were separated, but I would be so grateful if you're alive. And if you're not, I still would love to meet your children. I want to share the love of family, remembering the happy days of the past… I love you, thank you.' She and the siblings remember the kidnapped brother by singing his favorite song, 'Thinking of My Brother,' a children's song about a brother that never returned. 'My brother, you said you would come back from Seoul with silk shoes,' Min Young-jae sang, while her sister wiped away tears.
ABC News
3 days ago
- General
- ABC News
Ceremony remembers 75 years since the start of the 'forgotten' Korean War
Stanley Starcevich says many Australians forget the Korean War, but he cannot. The 94-year-old remembers trudging up steep mountains, through fields of rice paddies and dense forests. He remembers digging into frozen ground, icy winters, and hot, humid summers. He remembers the sound of enemy gunfire, the fear of hidden landmines, and he remembers learning about true bravery and courage. Mr Starcevich arrived in Korea in May 1951 as a 20-year-old with what he described as some "good blokes". "They could make you laugh even when the situation was really dire," he said. "We didn't know what was happening around us most of the time. He remembers — he can't help but remember. However, Mr Starcevich said many forgot. Less than five years after WWII, on June 25, 1950, North Korean forces invaded South Korea, starting the Korean War. Australia was quick to join the US-led United Nations army in support of South Korea in its attempt to halt the spread of communism. Australian troops played a pivotal role throughout the conflict, particularly in defending the fall of Seoul in 1951 in the Battle of Kapyong. The conflict remains ongoing, with the Korean peninsula still divided along the 38th parallel. More than 18,000 Australians served during the Korean War and the post-armistice period. While the war officially ended in July 1953, the last Australians did not return home until 1957. In total, 340 Australians lost their lives. Forty-two have no known grave. When those who survived returned home, they did not receive the hero's welcome of WWI and WWII veterans. The past president of the Korean Veterans Association of Australia (KVAA), John Munro OAM, said his local RSL rejected him becoming a member because it said the Korean conflict was "only a peacekeeping operation". "Well, it wasn't," Mr Munro said. "I can assure you of that." He departed his hometown of Swan Hill as a 19-year-old en route to Korea and cannot forget his experience of the brutality of war and the rejection he and his comrades received. "That happened to a lot of us." Both Mr Munro and Mr Starcevich spoke at a commemorative service held in Canberra on June 25 to mark 75 years since the start of the war. Mr Starcevich drove himself more than 3,000 kilometres from Esperance, WA, to attend the event because he believes remembering is important. Mr Munro's granddaughter, Macey Rye, said it was important the war was remembered and the veterans celebrated. "I have friends that have no idea of [the war]." She said her grandfather shared stories of the mateship of war — fun times away from the front — but kept the horrors to himself. Her mother and KVAA secretary Debby Munro helped coordinate 17 veterans from around the country attending the ceremony. She tears up thinking about the fact that many won't make the 80th anniversary. "They are forgotten," she said. "They feel it all the time. They feel it every Anzac Day. It's disheartening. "We've got to do what we can while we can while they're here. It's about them."
Miami Herald
21-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
China and North Korea's Militaries Don't Trust Each Other: US Intel
North Korea's deepening security ties with Russia are likely part of Kim Jong Un's effort to "counterbalance" China, according to the latest U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report. Pyongyang's "blood-cemented alliance" with Beijing, by contrast, dates back decades but does not extend to meaningful military cooperation. This suggests the two sides "do not trust each other on military issues," says Decker Eveleth, an analyst at the Virginia-based think tank CNA Corporation. Vladimir Putin inked a landmark military assistance pact with Kim during the Russian leader's June 2024 visit to Pyongyang. The partnership shifted into top gear late last year with the deployment of North Korean troops to support Russian forces in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. North Korea is also the only country with which China maintains a mutual defense treaty, and the People's Liberation Army was instrumental in pushing advancing U.S.-led troops back across the 38th Parallel. Yet today, the two "have virtually no military cooperation," the DIA said. This stands in contrast to China's increasing military drills and joint patrols with Russia as they step up their challenge to U.S. dominance in the Asia-Pacific. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese and Russian foreign ministries and the North Korean embassy in Beijing via email for comment. The DIA released its Annual Threat Assessment on Tuesday, a document intended to inform strategic planning and decision-making in Washington. "North Korea almost certainly is receiving reciprocal military cooperation from Moscow—including SA-22 surface-to-air missile systems and electronic warfare equipment—for providing soldiers and material to support Russia's war against Ukraine," the report says, echoing fears expressed by U.S. and South Korean officials since Pyongyang launched its military adventurism. North Korea depends heavily on China, which accounted for a record 98.3 percent of official trade in 2023. Beijing has thus maintained strong influence over the reclusive country, though this influence has shown limitations, such as Kim's determination to expand his United Nations-sanctioned nuclear weapons program. "North Korea's engagement with Russia likely reflects an attempt to counterbalance China's influence over Pyongyang," the DIA said. Commenting on this finding, Eveleth wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that while discussions of the two neighbors often characterize them as inseparable, "China and the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] do not trust each other on military issues, but DPRK is happy to buy stuff from the Chinese commercial market." Chinese Foreign Minister Guo Jiakun told reporters on April 28: "Regarding bilateral interactions between Russia and the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea], we've stated our position on multiple occasions. China's position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear." While China is likely unsettled by the trajectory of relations between its two nuclear-armed pariah state allies—both due to the reputational cost and the unwanted Western military attention they bring to its backyard—analysts say Chinese President Xi Jinping is willing to stomach this new reality amid his efforts to forge a less U.S.-centric world order. Related Articles China Warns Trump's Golden Dome Risks Turning Space Into 'Battlefield': Live UpdatesUS Launches Nuclear-Capable Missile in Arms Race With Russia and ChinaCan Trump's Tariffs Help Create a 'Golden Age' of US Manufacturing?China Issues No-Go Zone in Disputed Waters Claimed by US Ally 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
China and North Korea's Militaries Don't Trust Each Other: US Intel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. North Korea's deepening security ties with Russia are likely part of Kim Jong Un's effort to "counterbalance" China, according to the latest U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency report. Pyongyang's "blood-cemented alliance" with Beijing, by contrast, dates back decades but does not extend to meaningful military cooperation. This suggests the two sides "do not trust each other on military issues," says Decker Eveleth, an analyst at the Virginia-based think tank CNA Corporation. Why It Matters Vladimir Putin inked a landmark military assistance pact with Kim during the Russian leader's June 2024 visit to Pyongyang. The partnership shifted into top gear late last year with the deployment of North Korean troops to support Russian forces in the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. North Korea is also the only country with which China maintains a mutual defense treaty, and the People's Liberation Army was instrumental in pushing advancing U.S.-led troops back across the 38th Parallel. Yet today, the two "have virtually no military cooperation," the DIA said. This stands in contrast to China's increasing military drills and joint patrols with Russia as they step up their challenge to U.S. dominance in the Asia-Pacific. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese and Russian foreign ministries and the North Korean embassy in Beijing via email for comment. What To Know The DIA released its Annual Threat Assessment on Tuesday, a document intended to inform strategic planning and decision-making in Washington. "North Korea almost certainly is receiving reciprocal military cooperation from Moscow—including SA-22 surface-to-air missile systems and electronic warfare equipment—for providing soldiers and material to support Russia's war against Ukraine," the report says, echoing fears expressed by U.S. and South Korean officials since Pyongyang launched its military adventurism. Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (R) wave from an open top limousine as they travel along a street in Pyongyang on June 20, 2019. Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (R) wave from an open top limousine as they travel along a street in Pyongyang on June 20, 2019. Ju Peng/Xinhua via AP North Korea depends heavily on China, which accounted for a record 98.3 percent of official trade in 2023. Beijing has thus maintained strong influence over the reclusive country, though this influence has shown limitations, such as Kim's determination to expand his United Nations-sanctioned nuclear weapons program. "North Korea's engagement with Russia likely reflects an attempt to counterbalance China's influence over Pyongyang," the DIA said. Commenting on this finding, Eveleth wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that while discussions of the two neighbors often characterize them as inseparable, "China and the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] do not trust each other on military issues, but DPRK is happy to buy stuff from the Chinese commercial market." What People Are Saying Chinese Foreign Minister Guo Jiakun told reporters on April 28: "Regarding bilateral interactions between Russia and the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea], we've stated our position on multiple occasions. China's position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear." What Happens Next While China is likely unsettled by the trajectory of relations between its two nuclear-armed pariah state allies—both due to the reputational cost and the unwanted Western military attention they bring to its backyard—analysts say Chinese President Xi Jinping is willing to stomach this new reality amid his efforts to forge a less U.S.-centric world order.
