Chasing the Shadow of Benefit Ri, North Korea - The Truth about the Case of Yaeko Taguchi (Late 1970s-2000s)

Chasing the Shadow of Benefit Ri, North Korea - The Truth about the Case of Yaeko Taguchi (Late 1970s-2000s)
Yaeko Taguchi disappeared in 1978, at a time when "abduction" was not yet part of the general social vocabulary. Japan's rapid economic growth had settled down, and the public's attention was focused on political instability and economic fluctuations. Developments in North Korea were only discussed in the limited sphere of experts, and reports of infiltration cases and suspicious vessels were not linked to systematic abductions.
Under the Kim Il Sung regime, North Korea was focusing on training operatives and gathering information. Behind the inhumane method of taking Japanese nationals and using them to secure Japanese-language instructors was the logic of a closed nation that prioritizes efficiency. Yaeko Taguchi is said to have been a victim of this practice and was replaced with the name Benei Lee in North Korea. Among those who learned Japanese from her was Kim Hyon-hui, who is said to have been responsible for the Korean Air bombing.
In 1987, when the Korean Air Crash shook the world, Kim Hyon-Hui testified to the existence of Japanese-oriented education in North Korea, and there were whispers of a connection to Taguchi's disappearance. However, Japan had no diplomatic relations with North Korea and had no means of directly confirming the evidence. The government remained cautious, and the family was forced to wait for many years with the vague explanation of "evaporation.
From the late 1990s through the 2000s, the abduction issue began to take a major turn as a result of family appeals and growing public opinion. Public security officials and detectives tried to get to the bottom of the situation by accumulating what little information they had, including dangerous overseas investigations. While investigators in the field had near-convincing information, there was a continuing gap in which society was unable to catch up with this reality.
During Koizumi's visit to North Korea in 2002, North Korea acknowledged the abductions for the first time. However, Yaeko Taguchi was declared dead, and the remains shown by North Korea were later found to be those of a different person. Deep disappointment and anger spread throughout Japanese society, and even now there are ongoing hopes to uncover the truth and return the abductees home.
The case of Yaeko Taguchi became a symbol that vividly reflects the shadow of the post-Cold War era, the manipulative activities of the state, and the sense of powerlessness of Japanese society in the wake of one woman's disappearance. Behind the name "Ri Benefit" lies the weight of North Korea's closed structure, information control, and the truth that has long been covered up.