S. Korea restores honor of Vietnam War soldier once termed defector to N. Korea

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By Sam Kim
SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Wednesday restored the honor of one of
its Vietnam War soldiers long branded a defector to North Korea, concluding he
was in fact captured and sent to the communist state against his will.
In a conclusion reached after a fact-finding mission to Vietnam, officials at the
Ministry of National Defense said Sgt. Park Seong-ryeol was most likely kidnapped
while on guard in Vietnam in 1965.
Park, who was heard making anti-South tirades on North Korean radio in 1967, was
one of hundreds of thousands of South Korean soldiers who fought in Vietnam from
1964-1973 as part of a U.S. operation.
The officials said Park is believed to have been forced to go on radio, adding
that they have decided to reclassify him as a prisoner of war rather than a
defector.
"We could not find any motive for him to run away," Col. Oh Myung told reporters,
citing intelligence records containing testimonies of fellow soldiers Park had
worked with at the time.
"If he had wanted to desert, he would have done so while on leave rather than on
patrol," he said, adding a considerable ransom was offered for South Korean
soldiers at the time.
"Should Park return, he will be treated accordingly. If his remains return, they
will be buried at a national cemetery," another official said, adding he did not
know whether Park was still alive.
In July, the ministry concluded that Army Ssg. Ahn Hak-soo, also considered a
deserter and defector for decades, had in fact been kidnapped by North Vietnamese
forces and sent to North Korea.
Nearly 5,000 South Korean soldiers died while about 10,000 others were wounded in
the Vietnam War.
samkim@yna.co.kr
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