hankyoreh

Kim Young-nam, believed to be abducted to the North from a beach in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, when he was a high school student, said at a press conference on June 29, "In the past, a period of confrontation, all kinds of strange incidents happened. I want you to report our family reunion from a future-oriented point of view."

He smiled and looked at ease when he entered the conference hall, but when he started speaking, his face became hardened.

Kim explained how he had come to marry Megumi Yokota, a Japanese citizen presumed to be kidnapped to the North.

Asked why he offered a press conference, Kim replied, "I wanted to meet my family quietly after 28 years of separation, but as media has been paying keen attention to my family, and because there were many unfavorable rumors surrounding me, I decided to inform people of the facts accurately."

The following is an excerpt of an interview with Kim Young-nam.

Question: What is your occupation?

Answer: I am involved in unification-related business. In the North, unification business is considered a special sector.

Q: Tell me about your daughter Eun-gyeong’s mother (Megumi Yokota).

A: I met Megumi on business in early 1986. I learned Japanese from her. She was well-behaved and young. We became close while studying the Japanese language together and got married in August 1986. A daughter was born and we were happy for about three years. Even before our marriage, she had suffered from illness, but after giving birth to our daughter, she suffered from depression. Megumi received all the possible medical treatment, but she committed suicide on April 13, 1994. This is all I can say and I cannot tell you any more in detail. A claim that her remains are fake is humiliating for Megumi and me, and is human abuse. If she is alive, how can I say that she is dead?

Q: Tokyo is demanding Eun-gyeong be sent to Japan.

A: Eun-gyeong is Megumi's and my daughter. I can’t understand why Japan is making such a demand. Considering the Japanese government’s position, I don¡¯t want to send her to Japan, and she doesn’t want to go there, as well.

Q: It is said that Eun-gyeong’s original name is Hye-gyeong.

A: Her real name is Eun-gyeong and her childhood name is Hye-gyeong. I didn’t tell her about her mother until the Megumi issue spread. I introduced her as Hye-gyeong to media to protect her private life and I didn’t want her to be shocked.

Q: Do you know something about Lee Min-gyo and Hong Geon-pyo, [South Koreans] who disappeared almost at same time as you did?

A: I have no idea. I don’t want to talk about other persons now.

Q: How is your family?

A: Eun-gyeong is attending Kim Il Sung University and Cheol-bong is an elementary school student. My wife is a student at a school operated by the party. My father-in-law is vice-chairman of the Pyongyang People’s Committee. We are living affluently.

After the interview, Kim said, "Originally, I had no plan to release this information, and I never talked to anyone. However, this is the truth."

He continued, saying, "Please don’t let our family affairs be used for undesirable political purposes."