Call to Repatriate An Hak-sup, the World’s Longest-Held Unconverted Political Prisoner
We stand here today with solemn responsibility and an urgent appeal. An Hak-sup—who spent half his life imprisoned and the other half as the world’s longest-surviving unconverted political prisoner—is now waging the final battle of his life. At 96 years old, his health has deteriorated rapidly due to pulmonary edema.
More than two decades ago, Mr. An declined the opportunity to return to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), choosing instead to remain in the South. His conviction was unwavering: “How can I abandon this land while it remains under U.S. military occupation? I will stay and fight until they leave.” Now, as his life nears its end, having fulfilled that vow with relentless determination, Mr. An seeks to return home—to the land for which he sacrificed everything.
We affirm unequivocally that Mr. An’s repatriation is not merely a political matter—it is a humanitarian and international legal issue rooted in the Geneva Conventions. Captured during the Korean War in 1953 as a prisoner of war (POW), he was entitled under international law to humane treatment and prompt repatriation after the cessation of hostilities. Instead, he was prosecuted under the National Security Law in the ‘Republic of Korea (ROK)’ and sentenced to life imprisonment by a military tribunal.
The 1949 Geneva Conventions enshrine inviolable human rights, even during armed conflict. Articles 3 and 118 explicitly guarantee the rights and repatriation of POWs. Article 118, in particular, mandates the automatic return of all POWs upon the end of hostilities. Forced ideological conversion and prolonged detention are clear violations of these conventions. Moreover, as the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed by the United States—not the ‘Republic of Korea’—the U.S. government shares significant responsibility for Mr. An’s continued detention.
We must ask: What was all his suffering for, if not for the cause of Korean reunification and liberation from foreign domination? The division of our peninsula continues to define our reality, and true peace remains elusive. Mr. An stands as a living symbol of this prolonged division and unresolved war. He is not an enemy of any people. All Koreans—North and South—are bound by the same blood. His only wish is to return to the land he loves and leave his final footprints on the soil where his comrades rest.
Mr. An withstood decades of brutal ideological coercion without once betraying his conscience. “I cannot forsake my convictions just to survive,” he once said. Guided by the belief that “when you know something to be right and just, you must see it through—even at the cost of your life,” he endured 43 years of imprisonment. Who could deny the truth in his words: “I have devoted my entire life to reunification?”
From this day forward, we, the reunification movement organizations in the South, declare a renewed struggle for his repatriation. We do not beg for his return. Even if repatriation is denied, An Hak-sup will continue his anti-imperialist resistance until his last breath.
We therefore issue the following demands:
- That the government of the ‘Republic of Korea’ immediately review the repatriation of An Hak-sup on humanitarian grounds and engage in timely, substantive negotiations to ensure his return.
- That Mr. An, as a recognized prisoner of war, be repatriated through Panmunjom—not via a third country—in full accordance with the Geneva Conventions.
- That the United Nations human rights bodies and the international community acknowledge this issue and speak out responsibly against the human rights void created by Korea’s ongoing division.
July 18, 2025 — In front of the Seoul Government Complex, ‘Republic of Korea’
Committee for the Repatriation of An Hak-sup
