Shigeru Yokota, the father of Megumi Yokota, who was kidnapped by North Korea at the age of 13, and Choi Woo-young, a leader of a South Korean association of families of abductees, pose on Yokota’s arrival at Gimpo Airport on Monday. Five Kidnapped S.Koreans Confirmed Alive in North A Sorry Tale of Silence and Neglect It Takes Japan to Find Our Missing in N.Korea Kim Young-nam's Abductor Now Free in S.Korea Parents of Abduction Victims in Emotional First Meeting Abduction Victim Reunited With Mother After 28 Years A Child of North Korea’s Abductions Kim Young-nam Denies Abduction by N.Korea A Melancholy Performance Seoul Believes Kim Young-nam Was Abducted by North Megumi Yokota Remains ‘May Have Been Mixed Up’ Families Demand Return of Kidnap Victims from N.Korea Abducted S. Korean 'Wavers on Brink of Freedom' Tokyo ‘Hiding Knowledge of Megumi Yokota’s Death’ Kim Young-nam ‘Never Asked’ if Wife Was Kidnapped

“I met him in Japan last March and I could not spend enough time with him because I had such a hectic schedule there,” Choi said as she stood waiting for Yokota. “I really want to see him as soon as possible and I wonder what is happening to delay him.” Choi, who had a sleepless night, said, “I decided to wear this blue blouse to show our Japanese friends that we welcome them. It’s to recognize the blue ribbon campaign that is taking place in Japan nationwide to bring back Japanese abductees.”

At 3 p.m., Shigeru and the others finally emerged, and Choi ran to him and gripped his hands tightly. During the short interview they gave reporters from Korea and Japan, the pair never let go of each other’s hands.

The two first met in 1999, when Choi visited Japan to raise awareness of the abduction victims. “When I first saw her, I felt I was seeing my daughter Megumi,” Yokota said. “They look similar, and Woo-young also speaks Japanese very fluently. My guess is that my daughter speaks Korean very well as she spent so many years in North Korea. I thought Woo-young has something in common with my daughter and I think of her as my own daughter. Since then, I have called her ‘daughter’ and Woo-young called me ‘father’, too. I am so happy that Woo-young is healthy and in such good shape, which makes me think that Megumi, too, is doing just fine.” Megumi Yokota was abducted in 1977 when she was just 13. North Korea claims she has since died.

Yokota gave Choi a piece of red jumper as a present. “My daughter Woo-young has a fair complexion, and I want to protect her neck from getting tanned, so I chose this turtle-neck jumper.” Choi reciprocated with an orange necktie, saying “My father always wears blue ties because he is carrying out the blue ribbon campaign. So I thought it would make a great present if I give him a tie in a more flamboyant color.”

Yokota is to meet with the mother of Kim Young-nam, Choi Kye-wol (82), and other family members at a conference at the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives headquarters in Seoul on Tuesday.

“I have high hopes of meeting my in-laws,” he said. “Both my daughter and Young-nam were abducted when they were just students, and we all know the heart-breaking sorrow we experienced in those painful years. I brought a picture of Megumi taken when she was a child, and I want to share this with my in-laws. I hope we can talk with each other about how good they were when they were children and comfort each other. And I will tell her that we should join hands to resolve the abductee issue.”

(englishnews@chosun.com )