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A crewmember of the squid trawler Cheonwangho abducted by North Korea while fishing in the East Sea in August 1975 has escaped the communist state after 31 years. Choi Uk-il(67) is waiting for help from Seoul while hiding at an undisclosed location in China, but the government here is dragging its feet. Choi told the Chosun Ilbo he left Kimchaek City in North Hamgyeong Province on Dec. 22, arrived at Hyesan on Dec. 24 and crossed the Yalu River the next day. On the arduous trip, he sustained a cut to his forehead after a car accident on the way to Yanbian in China. He was finally reunited with his wife Yang Jeong-ja (66) there.
"I want help so I can go back to South Korea as soon as possible,¡± Choi says. Among the Cheonwangho¡¯s 33 crewmembers, only one other, Goh Myeong-seop, returned home via China in 2005.
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Choi Uk-il, a fisherman abducted by North Korea three decades ago, says goodbye to his wife after being reunited with her after 31 years earlier this week. Choi covers his face for safety reasons.
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Getting away
On Dec. 8 last year, Choi was visited by two strangers, a man and a woman, at his home in Kimchaek, the eighth such visit since 2001 after he had managed in 1998 to send a letter via China to his family in South Korea that he was still alive. He never stopped thinking about his hometown over the three decades since he was kidnapped, but previously Choi always had to turn such visitors away or report to them to the North Korean State Safety and Security Agency as he was under constant close supervision.
But Choi said he saw his wife in his dreams with increasing frequency and finally decided to accept their help, even though he knew he might die in the attempt. He left the city on Dec. 22 with his guides and stowed away on a freight train headed for Hyesan. Some 30 people were on board the train, sitting in cars packed with cargo without covers from the icy winds from Mt. Baekdu. The train was inspected at no fewer than 13 checkpoints before arriving at Hyesan on Christmas Eve. He stayed one night and then, with the help of other Chinese guides, finally crossed the frozen Yalu River the next day.
Choi and his North Korean guides took a taxi that was waiting for them as soon as they crossed the river and rushed to Changbai, Jilin Province that night. He was as yet unable to see his wife and daughter, who were supposed to be there, and was told they were waiting for him somewhere else. "I guessed that she would take me to the South,¡± Choi says. Choi and his guides headed for the location where his wife was waiting on Dec. 26, but on the way their car collided with a truck ahead. Choi hit his head and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he had eight stitches to his forehead. They hurriedly left the hospital, however, for fear of being arrested by Chinese police.
Reunited
Choi had to wait several more days to meet his wife. He was finally told that he could go see her on Dec. 31. They were reunited in a restaurant, but there were no emotional scenes since one of the North Korean guides was watching. Chinese guides asked the North Korean to have a drink to make him relax and told him Choi and his wife needed some time together in a quiet place. Thanks to them, Choi and his wife were able to dodge the North Korean guide. The couple took a taxi and went to a safe house. Choi was finally free from the North Korean authorities.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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