The presidential office has pledged to resolve the past abduction of South Koreans by North Korea through channels such as inter-Korean ministerial talks.

Presidential spokesman Kim Man-soo on Monday said President Roh Moo-hyun also expressed deep regret over kidnapped South Korean fisherman Choi Jong-suk, whose daughter has pleaded to Roh for his return.

Kim said that over the last five years, the fates of 55 out of some 400 South Korean abductees have been confirmed and that eleven of them have been reunited with their separated families.