The Register a Book of Names of Korean War Abductees First Government Publication to Win One of Asias Top Three Design Awards

The Ministry of Unification announced that the National Korean War Abductees Memorial Halls publication The Register a Book of Names of Korean War Abductees which was produced and published last November was submitted to the K-Design Award 2024 on May 29th and won the Winner award on July 30th. This marks the first time a government publication has won this award.

The K-Design Award along with Hong Kongs Design for Asia Award and Taiwans Golden Pin Design Award is recognized as one of the top three design awards in Asia.

As a prestigious international competition representing Korea it has been held for the past 12 years attracting designers companies and design institutions worldwide. With prominent experts such as Nikes CEO serving as judges the competition has seen an increase in the quality of entries and the number of participating countries and submissions each year.

This year 2637 designs from 23 countries were submitted and 33 judges from around the world evaluated the entries. The Register a Book of Names of Korean War Abductees received the Winner award.

K-Design Award categories: Kudos to the Best Grand Prize Gold Winner Winner
Winning this international design competition with a publication that includes the names of Korean War abductees and being the first government publication to do so has provided an opportunity to raise domestic and international awareness of the issue of wartime abductees.

The Register a Book of Names of Korean War Abductees is a research compilation that brings together the contents of 12 major lists out of the 14 lists related to wartime abductees discovered so far.

The names recorded in the Korean War abductees lists represent unhealed scars of over 70 years. The register which gathers these names holds significant importance as it serves as a historical document to clarify North Koreas crimes against humanity and refute the false claims of the North Korean authorities denying wartime abductions.

Furthermore the book was planned and published as part of the governments efforts to ensure the right not to be forgotten for victims of wartime abductions. The recognition of its aesthetic design through this award will provide solace to the families of the abductees and convey a message of commitment to ensuring the right not to be forgotten.

Lee Sung-ui Director of the Korean War Abductees Family Association expressed his feelings about the award saying Finding my fathers name in the old register felt like my abducted father was still alive. I was so happy to see this precious book beautifully designed. He added Sincerity always gets through reflecting on the news of the award.

The award-winning works of the K-Design Award 2024 will be exhibited on the K-Design Award website (www.kdesignaward.com) starting August 7th.

Based on this achievement the Ministry of Unification plans to continue efforts to raise awareness of the abduction issue both domestically and internationally by submitting the book to the German Book Foundations Worlds Best Book Design competition which is eligible only for books with national awards. The winners will be exhibited at the Frankfurt and Leipzig Book Fairs.

Meanwhile the National Korean War Abductees Memorial Hall in Paju Gyeonggi Province houses the 12 wartime abductee registers introduced in the book. The memorial hall conducts various exhibitions and educational programs to restore the honor of the abductees and their families remember their pain and strengthen the resolve to resolve the issue.

Especially with this years special exhibitions Human Rights the Right Not to Be Forgotten and Our Grandfathers Story aimed at enhancing understanding of the abduction issue it is hoped that many students visiting the memorial hall during the summer vacation will have a very special experience.

The Ministry of Unification recognizes the resolution of the abduction detainee and POW issues as a crucial responsibility to protect its citizens and is making the utmost efforts to ensure these individuals can return to their families as soon as possible.

During the trilateral summit at Camp David last August the leaders of South Korea the United States and Japan confirmed their joint commitment to resolving the abduction detainee and POW issues. Following this the Ministry of Unification established a Task Force on Abduction Issues directly under the minister and has been making various efforts.

In particular by creating and promoting the Three Forget-Me-Nots symbol representing abductees detainees and POWs the ministry is striving to make this issue more accessible to the public through cultural approaches and to build a consensus across all generations.

This year marks the 10th year of the detention of missionaries Kim Kuk-gi and Choi Chun-gil. Together with the Korean people and in cooperation with the international community the Ministry will continue its best efforts to raise awareness and resolve the issues of abductees detainees and POWs.

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