Daughter of alleged abductees likely to appear at reunion

Kim Hye-gyeong, thought to be the daughter of a Japanese woman who was allegedly abducted by North Korean agents 30 years ago, is likely to take part in the separated family reunions scheduled for August this year. Pyongyang/Mainichi Shinbun Ap Yonhap

Thought to be offspring of Korean, Japanese kidnapped to North

The two Koreas have begun the 14th series of separated family reunions, this round marking the anniversary of the historic 2000 inter-Korean summit between former president Kim Dae-jung and his counterpart in the North, Kim Jong-il. During the fourth three-day reunion session to be held June 28-30, Kim Young-nam, who is believed to have been abducted to the North nearly 30 years ago, will meet his mother and an elder sister from the South. Mr. Kim is also reportedly going to bring Hye-gyeong, 18, his daughter with his former wife, thought to be Megumi Yokota, a Japanese abductee.

Ms. Megumi is thought to have passed away in the North. However, Pyongyang has not been forthcoming about the identity of Mr. Kim’s former wife, calling her by a Korean name instead.

"Hye-gyeong will come and reveal everything that people in the South are wondering about," an official from the North said during the third session at Mt. Geumgang (Kumgang). "I know that she recently entered Kim Il Sung University in Pyongyang," the offical added.

Officials from Seoul also predicted that Hye-gyeong is likely to take part in the reunion, in consideration of the statements made by the North.

Seoul expects the North to use the Kim family reunion to "speak" to Japan, as relations have soured between the two countries over the unresolved issues of abductions, North Korea’s recent missile test preparations, and its nuclear program.

Officials from the North seem interested in the slant the media will take, asking South Korean journalists, "How will the South’s media report on the Kim family reunion?" The North had originally wanted the Kim reunion to be held in a venue separate from the other reunions, reportedly to increase ease of media coverage, but the South did not agree to this.

Kim Young-nam is believed to have been kidnapped to the North at Seonyudo Beach in Gunsan, North Jeolla province, in August 1978, when he was a high school student.