Three in four South Koreans unaware of fate of loved ones in North Korea: survey


The fences surrounding Imjingak Village in the DMZ on the North Korean border are adorned with brightly colored ribbons. These ribbons frequently bear messages of peace, prayers, and well-wishes for family members residing in North Korea. - Photo courtesy of anokarina's Flicker

SEOUL: Three in four South Koreans separated from family and relatives by the Korean War remain unaware of their fate, with most calling for urgent action to confirm whether their loved ones are alive, according to the Unification Ministry.

Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, the Unification Ministry on Friday (Jan 24) unveiled the results of a face-to-face survey conducted between July and December last year with 5,103 surviving South Koreans registered in the government’s programme to reunite separated families and relatives.

The survey revealed that 75.5 per cent of respondents had been unable to confirm the life or death of their family members or relatives in North Korea.

Among those unaware of their loved ones' fates, 56.7 per cent said they had made efforts to verify the status of their families and relatives in North Korea.

The most preferred method of interaction with families and relatives in North Korea was verifying life status and receiving updates, chosen by 55.3 per cent of respondents, while only 14.4 per cent prioritised in-person meetings.

When asked which policy to address the issue of separated families was most urgent, 77.2 per cent of respondents prioritised the "implementation of a comprehensive life status verification and notification system in case of death."

The second most urgent policy, chosen by 37 per cent, was the regularisation of reunions for separated families, followed by 18.2 per cent who supported the establishment of a system for inter-Korean letter exchanges.

However, when asked if they were willing to visit their hometowns in North Korea, 47.6 per cent said no.

Among those unwilling to travel, 58.7 per cent cited "Due to my poor health, long-distance travel is difficult for me" as the primary reason.

When asked about their willingness to participate in letter exchanges if a postal exchange system were established between North and South Korea, 54.2 per cent responded positively.

Among the 4,842 respondents with no prior interaction with separated family members or relatives in North Korea, 47.9 per cent said they had no intention of confirming the life or death of their loved ones in North Korea.

Of these, 91.1 per cent cited the belief that their family or relatives in North Korea are likely deceased as the primary reason.

The Unification Ministry released the results of a phone and in-person survey of 25,373 surviving South Koreans registered in the government’s programme to locate separated families.

Of these, 25,282 were domestic respondents, with 85.3 per cent aged 70 or older, while 91 overseas respondents included 79.2 per cent in the same age group.

From this, a sample of 5,103 participants was selected for in-depth, in-person interviews based on gender, age and place of residence.

The survey revealed that among 25,282 domestic participants, with multiple responses allowed, 62.3 per cent prioritized life status verification, 57.2 per cent preferred reunions, 52.1 per cent supported letter or video exchanges, and 43 per cent wished to visit their hometowns.

Overall demand for exchanges has declined compared to 2021, when preferences were 75.7 per cent, 65.8 per cent, 60 per cent, and 69.7 per cent, respectively.

A sharp drop was noted in hometown visit preferences, which fell by around 27 percentage points.

The Unification Ministry attributed the change to the aging of first-generation separated families, diminishing expectations for visits, and altering exchange priorities.

Among domestic respondents, 24.1 per cent were aged 90 or older, 39.5 per cent were in their 80s, and 21.7 per cent were in their 70s. - The Korea Herald/ANN

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