The First Step is to Heighten Your Awareness

NAKAGAWA Akari
10th grade, Kanagawa Prefectural Atsugi Higashi Senior High School

What is the North Korean abduction issue? News frequently picks up this issue, but I haven’t really paid attention. I was not born yet when it happened, and it didn’t interest me. It was someone else’s business, not mine, until I watched an animated film, “Megumi.”

After I watched the film, I was scared and felt heartache, imagining if that happened to me. Forty-five years ago, YOKOTA, Megumi was abducted by North Korea. She was only 13 at the time. In the midst of her teenage years; she was deprived of freedom and taken away from her family. Megumi was taken to North Korea by boat. Her voice crying out for her father and mother filled the entire boat. This scene left a strong impression on me. The whole story was the heartbreaking truth, and I wished it were a fictional story. She was suddenly taken away from her beloved family by a total stranger to be taken away to an unknown place. She must’ve been scared to death. Her family of course must’ve been desperate. I learned how ignorant I was from this. In one day, a beloved daughter had disappeared. Probably, her parents wished it wasn’t true, and it must’ve been unbearable since they had no idea what had happened to their daughter at the time. Even after they learned of the possibility of abduction, they must’ve felt helpless since they were not allowed to go rescue Megumi. I imagine that they were ready to do whatever they could to bring Megumi home.

I read a comic book “When My Mother was Kidnapped, I was Only a Year Old” by IIZUKA, Koichiro. His experience was a bit different from the family in the animated film. The victim in this comic book was also abducted by North Korea, like Megumi, but became an educator for North Koreans who were involved in crimes. When IIZUKA learned of his mother’s abduction, he had already grown up. He must’ve had conflicting thoughts after learning of this. Although Megumi’s family reached out to society for support, he couldn’t do so easily, which probably made him regretful.

After I read the comic and watched the animated film, a question came to me. Why is this issue still not resolved? Is North Korea that hard to deal with?

To tell you the truth, I have no good ideas on how to resolve the issue, which seems so unattainable. But, I will start by learning about it, which is important. If everyone heightens their awareness on the issue, something may happen. Moreover, to not let this issue fade away from people’s minds, while the families of abductees grow older, the issue should be passed on to the next generations.