4. Forces (State or State-supported) believed to be responsible for the disappearance (*):
(a) If the perpetrators are believed to be State agents, please specify (military, police, persons in uniform
or civilian clothes, agents of security services, unit to which they belong, rank and functions, etc.) and
indicate why they are believed to be responsible; be as precise as possible:
The following information is based on the witness accounts and reports in the media.
The hijacker of the plane was discovered to be a North Korean spy who resided in South Korea. He
threatened the pilots with a firearm to derail the plane from its route to the intended destination (Seoul)
and change the direction toward DPRK. After passing the 38 parallel, two North Korean military planes
joined the hijacked plane to escort it. The witnesses claim that the plane was surrounded by armed North
Korean soldiers at its arrival in the Yeonpo Airbase. North Korean soldiers greeted the hijacker and
guided him to a black Sedan car where he left the airbase. A man in a military general suit identified
himself as a guide, blindfolded the passengers, boarded them into two different buses and transported
them to a waiting room. After a few hours, around 8 pm, an officer in a formal uniform with 3-star on his
epaulet, entered the room and welcomed their arrival in his country. On the 14th, the passengers were
transported to Pyeongyang, separated into three groups and detained in three different hotels (Pyeongyan,
Daedong and Duyeo). From the 16th, the abductees were investigated, received forced education on the
North Korean propagandas and visited the propagandist sites, including a revolutionary museum,
revolutionary galleries and a tractor factory. Abductees who disclaimed or questioned the communist
ideals, the government or any part of DPRK, were taken into a different room where they were tortured.
For example, Ho-Gil Sohn (one of the abductees) was taken into a separated room after making a negative
comment on one of the propagandas; he came back physically and mentally disabled. He was unable to
perceive things and communicate with other people. The witnesses learned that he was drugged and
abused with electronic equipments. According to the witnesses, Mr. Hwang expressed his disobedience
and was taken into a separate room, where he was last seen.
(b) If identification as State agents is not possible, why do you believe that Government authorities, or
persons linked to them, are responsible for the incident?
N/A
(c) If there are witnesses to the incident, indicate their names. If they wish to remain anonymous, indicate
if they are relatives, by-passers, etc.; if there is evidence, please specify:
On 14 February 1970, 39 abductees (out of 50) repatriated to South Korea through the Panmunjum, while
11 abductees were continuously detained in the North. On 15 February, the South Korean government
organized a press conference, where the returnees testified the incident of abduction and the experiences
in the North to the public. The returnees shared the first-hand experiences of the hijacking of KAL YS-11
on 11 December 1969 and 66 days of detainment in the North. The testimonies of ten returnees were
reported in media. The returnees’ names are as follow:
Kyung-Heon Lee (이경헌)
Ho-Gil Sohn (손호길)