Jean Mackenzie

Tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers captured during the Korean War were never returned and spent their lives in forced labor within North Korea’s caste system. Former POW Lee Dae-bong recounts decades of harsh treatment in a coal mine before escaping, while descendants such as Chae Ah-in describe lifelong discrimination and lack of recognition in both Koreas. Families accuse both governments of neglecting POWs and failing to secure their repatriation, and continue to seek official acknowledgment and the return of remains. Seventy years after the armistice, the unresolved POW issue underscores the absence of lasting peace and the fading hope for reunification.