The Korean War POWs who rejected North and South Korea to go to neutral India



Features The Korean War POWs who rejected North and South Korea to go to neutral India Seventy years ago, a handful of Koreans set sail for Madras, many with futile dreams of eventually settling in the US James Fretwell February 9, 2024 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON North Korean and Chinese Communist prisoners at the United Nations' prisoner-of-war camp in Busan (April, 1951) \| Image: Morning Calm Weekly Newspaper Installation Management Command, U.S. Army via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED) On Feb. 9, 1954, 76 Korean and 12 Chinese POWs set sail from Incheon, South Korea to Madras, India to begin uncertain new lives in an undecided country. Diehard anti-communists, traitors to South Korea, or intellectuals who transcended Cold War ideologies? This tiny handful of Korean War POWs who rejected both North and South Korea for neutral nations have been romanticized and demonized in various ways over the decades, but their motivations were much more complex than they first appeared. On Feb. 9, 1954, 76 Korean and 12 Chinese POWs set sail from Incheon, South Korea to Madras, India to begin uncertain new lives in an undecided country. Diehard anti-communists, traitors to South Korea, or intellectuals who transcended Cold War ideologies? This tiny handful of Korean War POWs who rejected both North and South Korea for neutral nations have been romanticized and demonized in various ways over the decades, but their motivations were much more complex than they first appeared. Try unlimited access Only $1 for four weeks Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Features

The Korean War POWs who rejected North and South Korea to go to neutral India

Seventy years ago, a handful of Koreans set sail for Madras, many with futile dreams of eventually settling in the US

James Fretwell February 9, 2024

The Korean War POWs who rejected North and South Korea to go to neutral India

North Korean and Chinese Communist prisoners at the United Nations' prisoner-of-war camp in Busan (April, 1951) | Image: Morning Calm Weekly Newspaper Installation Management Command, U.S. Army via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED)

On Feb. 9, 1954, 76 Korean and 12 Chinese POWs set sail from Incheon, South Korea to Madras, India to begin uncertain new lives in an undecided country.

Diehard anti-communists, traitors to South Korea, or intellectuals who transcended Cold War ideologies? This tiny handful of Korean War POWs who rejected both North and South Korea for neutral nations have been romanticized and demonized in various ways over the decades, but their motivations were much more complex than they first appeared.

Try unlimited access
Only $1 for four weeks

Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis
Year-one discount if you continue past $1 trial period
The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop
Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns
Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting

Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts.

Subscribe now

All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time.

The Korean War POWs who rejected North and South Korea to go to neutral India

Try unlimited accessOnly $1 for four weeks

Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most –

as selected by

One more step!

Trending

Recent Stories

About the Author

James Fretwell

Try unlimited access
Only $1 for four weeks

Start your day with
the North Korea stories that matter most –