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There were a few defectors who refused repatriation, I recall. I think
most, if not all, eventually returned to the U.S. Including a high profile case
that the North Koreans milked for propaganda purposes. Obviously, if there are
any willing defectors still alive there would be very little reason to ask
for their return. This is one of the things that happens in these Presidential
Wars that we don't win. If we have another one, we should exchange the president
that started the war for any prisoners that might have been captured during the
inconclusive war.
Bob Dove
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002 1:28
PM
Subject: Re: GI's in North Korea
Hi, Swan -
I believe there ARE several 'former residents' of
the US in North Korea. First of all, there were some defections during
the War and these people worked for the enemy and were not treated as
POWs. Our side had done the same, of course.
After the war, there were a dozen or so US
military personnel who went to NK for one reason or another.
It may be that some of these folks are still
alive. But do we want them back - even if NK would let them go or
the defectors wanted to come home?
ysk
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002
11:08 AM
Subject: Re: GI's in North Korea
For years, there has been speculation that there
may be Americans still
alive after being captured in Korea and Vietnam.
This seems to be highly
unlikely.
We know a lot of
prisoners of war were killed shortly after they were
captured in Korea.
The same probably holds true for those in Vietnam.
Looking
at it from the enemy's point of view, this makes sense. Why would
they
feed captives when they were probably hard-pressed to find rations
for
themselves? Finding a place to hold these prisoners would be
problematic,
due to the fluid situation of the Korean War. Transporting
prisoners to
these places would present even more problems. From a
tactical point of
view, it would have made little sense to keep these
captives alive.
I find it more surprising that some POWs
survived, than some of them were
killed. I would be even more surprised
to find that any of them were held in
captivity for years after the war
ended. For slave labor? If this were the
case, few of them probably
survived long under the harsh conditions of such
captivity. Besides, the
average citizen in North Korea probably labors in
little better than
slave labor conditions anyway.
I think it is past time to
put aside any hopes of "freeing" any POWs. But
we should vow that if we
ever go to war with another country that will kill
prisoners we will win
that war .... and we will punish the killers.
----- Original
Message -----
From: "Mike Davino" <mdavino@yahoo.com>
To: <KOREAN-WAR-L@raven.cc.ku.edu>
Cc:
<tbarker@kwp.org>; <hbarker@kwp.org>
Sent: Tuesday,
September 17, 2002 8:05 PM
Subject: GI's in North Korea
>
According to this story, the possibility exists that
> US Korean War
POW's may still be alive in north Korea.
>
>
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020917/ap_on_re_as/us_nk
orea_1
>
>
The north Koreans have denied this for years, but as
> this story
points out, they also denied abducting any
> Japanese citizens and Kim
Jong Il now finally admits
> they have.
>
>
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=586&ncid=586&e=6&u=/nm/2002
0917/wl_nm/japan_korea_north_dc
>
>
__________________________________________________
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> http://finance.yahoo.com
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