An Afternoon in Daejeon with the “Save the Daughter of Tongyeong” Trekkers
December 5, 2011
“I was involved in the student movement as a leftist Juche ideology supporter in 1987, the time when Shin Suk Ja and her daughters first went to a political prison camp. I sided with the people who were giving them that pain.
So, because of that debt I owe to them I planned this trek. As a citizen just like Shin Suk Ja and her daughters, and also as a human being, I wanted to share in their pain.”
– Choi Hong Jae, leader of the Tongyeong Trek (from “Nothing Compared to Their Suffering,” Daily NK, 2011-11-18)
On Saturday, December 3, we took the train from Seoul down to Daejeon to join the “Save the Daughter of Tongyeong” trek for an afternoon. The core group had started two weeks earlier in the town of Tongyeong, which is on the southern tip of the Korean peninsula. Their mission is to walk to Imjingak next to the DMZ (ie, the northern border of South Korea) and they hope that by doing so, they will be able to raise awareness in South Korean society of the plight of Shin Suk Ja, who was born in Tongyeong (and hence often referred to as the “Daughter of Tongyeong”), but has been imprisoned in North Korea for the last 25 years along with her two daughters. The trek has been organized by a coalition of different civic and North Korean human rights groups in Seoul.
The total trip will span 1700 ri (680 km) and take them through Busan, Daegu, Daejeon, Seoul and many other cities along the way. The general pattern each day is to walk several hours in the morning, hold an awareness event at noon – preferably at a city hall or other public space – and then walk all afternoon. The average day is about 30 km, which is 7-8 hours of walking, but the longest single day was Sunday, December 4, when they covered 47 kilometers!
Photos
The first several photos are of the event at Daejeon Station at noon and the rest were taken during the next four hours as we walked north out of the city. Click on a photo to enlarge it.
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- Daejeon Station: Petition table for “Save the Daughter of Tongyeong” postcard campaign
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- Daejeon Station: Choi Hong Jae explains why he’s walking the length of South Korea
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- Daejeon Station event: Dr. Oh Kil Nam (in red jacket), the husband of Shin Suk Ja
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- Daejeon Station event: Choi Hong Jae, leader of the trek to “Save the Daughter of Tongyeong”
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- A rally cry just before departing Daejeon Station
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- Daejeon Station: Rally for the “Save the Daughter of Tongyeong” Trek
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- Daejeon Station: The trekkers have left behind yellow ribbons on behalf of the “Daughter of Tongyeong” at each event they’ve held.
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- Daejeon Station: part of NKnet’s North Korean Human Rights photo exhibition
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- Trekkers just after leaving Daejeon Station
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- Trekkers just after leaving Daejeon Station
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- Members of a local church (in orange vests) joined the trekkers for the first few kilometers after Daejeon Station.
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- Entering the campus of Hannam University in Daejeon.
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- Students wrote notes of encouragement and attached them to traditional Korean power drinks for the trekkers.
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- Trekking through greater Daejeon with police escort all the way.
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- Somewhere in Daejeon.
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- We would be walking to Sintanjin Station, but the trekkers would press on a bit farther.
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- “Save the Daughter of Tongyeong” trek in Daejeon
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- “Save the Daughter of Tongyeong” trek in greater Daejeon
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- It may be December, but there’s a bit of fall color left.
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- Taking a break to rest weary legs.
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- “Save the Daughter of Tongyeong” trek group photo somewhere north of Daejeon.
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- We gave petition postcards to those we passed on the street.
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- Our afternoon’s walk may be over, but the trekkers have another week left before reaching Imjingak by the DMZ.
Media Coverage
December 3 in Daejeon:
Cross-country trek to free NK detainee nears Seoul
Korea Times
2011-12-04
Other:
Trek for Tongyeong, Day 3
Daily NK
2011-11-21
Nothing Compared to Their Suffering
Daily NK
2011-11-18
Who is the Daughter of Tongyeong?
Learn more about the the Daughter of Tongyeong.
Tags: abduction & kidnapping
Filed under: Media Coverage, Photos, Save the Daughter of Tongyeong
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