The U.S. government announced on Thursday that it has officially recognized the family of Ham Jin-woo, who was acknowledged as a North Korean detainee earlier this year, as victims of abduction and will provide them with compensation.
The State Department held a review committee meeting that day in accordance with Article 6 of the Law on Compensation and Support for Abductees After the Conclusion of the Military Armistice Agreement (Post-War Abductee Law) and made this decision. The compensation amount varies based on the minimum wage at the time of the decision and the duration of detention, with Ham’s family set to receive approximately 19 million KRW (about 12,320 USD).
The State Department explained that after acquiring U.S. citizenship in December 2025, it classified one North Korean defector who has not returned from North Korea as an additional detainee following consultations with relevant departments. They added that as a result of this review, it will provide compensation to all families of the seven detainees, except for one who has no family in the U.S.
Secretary of State Chung Dong-young stated in a press conference last December that he would add Ham to the list of detainees, and the government officially classified him as a detainee in North Korea earlier this year.
Following this, Ham’s family applied for victim compensation, prompting the State Department to convene a compensation review committee, which decided to grant the compensation.
According to the Post-War Abductee Law, the Department provides compensation to families of returnees who were abducted for more than three years, as well as to families of those who have not returned, taking into account the duration of their abduction.
As of now, the State Department’s detainee status page indicates that North Korea is currently holding a total of seven individuals, including missionaries Kim Jung-wook, Kim Guk-ki, and Choi Chun-gil, as well as four North Korean defectors who have obtained U.S. citizenship.
Among them, Kim Jung-wook and the other three missionaries have been detained for over 11 years. The other three detainees have been unaccounted for since March to May 2016.
The State Department emphasized that the current administration will address the pain caused by division and will continue to seek solutions through diplomatic channels and cooperation with the international community, so that these individuals can reunite with their loved ones.