A reunited Korea is something we all dream about and to that end, it’s time again for “Unification Table Talk” where we interview experts from
different fields who, despite following an array of different pursuits, are all working towards reunification of the Koreas.
Following a period of peak tensions on the Korean Peninsula, relations between the two Koreas showed signs of improvement with the announcement of new joint
agreement. In the accord, both countries promised to work together to bring
about another round of reunions for families who were separated after the
Korean War. Today’s topic is the reunion of divided families, and Professor Kim
Young Soo of Sogang University is here with us today to offer insight into this
issue.
1. I’m sure that North Korean residents
deeply appreciate your work. You are a professor as well as a recording artist,
releasing songs like “If only we could meet”, “Armistice line” and other heart-
warming songs. Many North Koreans would have likely heard some of your songs.
Please share some words with our North Korean listeners.
To be separated from each other for 70
years must be as frustrating for you as it is for us. But as long as we don’t
give up trying to achieve reunification, then it will come true. In my song
“If only we could meet” has the phrase “If only we could meet, then we’d laugh
and dance together”; let’s look forward to the day when it will be possible.
2. A round of reunions for separated
families is slated for October following the recent inter-Korean accord to ease
escalating military tensions on the Korean Peninsula. Perhaps this is what they
call turning a misfortune into a blessing. What is your thought on the possible
upcoming round of reunions?
Each round of reunions lasts only two
nights and three days, which is only too short. But at least we can look
forward to another round possibly taking place very soon. Hopefully, it will
indeed take place, so that those who have yet to see their divided families
will not be heartbroken if the reunions are cancelled. What sets apart this round
of reunions is that both countries have agreed in writing to attempt to conventionalize
the reunions– that is, to make them a regularly occurring event.
However, joint agreements between the two
countries have rarely been fully carried out. Hopefully, this agreement will be an
exception. The reunions should be held frequently as a matter of course, but
they have all too often been postponed. This upcoming round of reunions is really like a ray of sun piercing the looming storm clouds.
3. Inter-Korean relations are always in
flux, so that predicting how things, like promises to carry out reunions, will
play out is very difficult. How have previous reunions come about?
About 20 rounds of reunions have so far
taken place. They have always happened on an ad hoc basis, for instance, in exchange
for giving aid in the form of rice and fertilizer. So, previous reunions have
not come about very easily.
The first reunions were held in Seoul and
Pyongyang. After 3 rounds, the North Koreans proposed Kumgang Mountain as the
site of future reunions. It was good to have it at such a beautiful setting.
But nowadays, many reunion participants are elderly so that it is physically
difficult for them to reach Kumgang Mountain. It’s tragically common to see
those elderly who cannot complete the journey to the reunion and be transported
back to South Korea by ambulances.
Each round of reunions lasts over 2 nights
and 3 days, and consists of a general reunion, individual reunion, and farewell
reunion. I dislike the term farewell reunion, which seems like an oxymoron.
Nonetheless, any potential round of reunion is worth anticipating.
4. Those selected to participate in the
reunions must pass through special procedures. Can you describe what the
procedures in South Korea are like?
Firstly, they have to register themselves
as potential participants. If a reunion is imminent, then a lottery of those
registered takes place. A list of the lottery “winners” is compiled and given
to North Korea. North Korea then compiles their own list of family members of
the South Korean “winners” who are still alive. If there is a match, then the
members of the separated family can meet. North Korea finalizes its own list
after one or two additions to an original draft.
5. North Korea has its own corresponding procedure
for selecting participants. What kind of procedures are in place?
We initially thought that North Korea had
their own list of self-registrants who wanted to participate in the reunions,
but that is not the case. They start compiling their list of participants after
we send our list by searching nationwide for the North Korean relatives of the
South Koreans in the list. The regime does not like the reunions very much, so much so that many North Koreans residents who have been contacted as potential participants deny
that they have family in South Korea or say that they have the same name as the
person being sought after. Why the North Koreans act in this way is
understandable, but to do so must be extremely agonizing for them.
The participants in the reunions undergo
special education designed specifically for them. They are instructed on what
to say, and in particular, to point out the general’s generosity without which
the reunion would not have happened. Reports from past reunions state that
those who did not follow the instructions were taken behind closed doors to be
reprimanded by Party handlers, but this sort of thing seems to have stopped
during recent reunions. The reason that the North requires some time to prepare for
the reunions is to train the participants in conducting themselves.
6. The Korean Red Cross plays a very
important role as a facilitator of the reunions. Is there a reason that the Red
Cross, and not the government, administers the reunions?
Inter-Korean relations are dictated by
politics but reunions of divided families are classified as a humanitarian
issue. Therefore, it is only fitting that humanitarian issues, as opposed to
political issues, are handled by an NGO like the Red Cross rather than by
governmental bodies. Moreover, the Red Cross was originally formed in order to
mediate between governments and handle issues and processes that are
non-political. Hence, owing to their statuses as NGOs, the respective Red Cross
organizations of both Koreas carry out the reunions.
7. Does North Korea’s Red Cross entity
function in the same way as its southern counterpart?
The North Korean counterpart is referred to
as the Red Cross Society. The regime maintains this body not just to
interact with the Korean Red Cross, but also in order to participate in
international conferences from which it would not gain entry without the title
of the Red Cross.
8. The problem with reunions is that the
participants are now very elderly. What is the estimated number of divided
family members?
The frequently given figure is that of 10
million family members. However, the actual number of those who have registered
to participate in the reunions is between 120000 and 130000. About 3000 to 5000
registrants annually pass away, so that the number is between 66000 and 67000.
About half of the still living are over 80, and those over 90 comprise about
12% of the whole group.
While it is true that the elderly now enjoy
better health than they have before, their health is still declining. They
cannot move easily and suffer from declining memories and dementia. But
surprisingly, they can still clearly remember their separated family members—this
really speaks to the painfulness of the separation.
9. Video reunions continue to be mentioned
as a way to accommodate the elderly. How would a video reunion be arranged, and
what advantages would it have?
I personally don’t like the idea of live
video reunions. Video reunions will involve agreeing upon a time as well as
arranging video connections. But wouldn’t it be better at such an important and
emotional moment for the participants to be able to touch each other and smell
each other’s scents?
There is a process during the reunions to ensure that the
people matched up are indeed family members, because they often have
mismatching memories and don’t know each other. So the participants are asked
about life events, physical scars, and other memories that both parties would
share. But by the time that it is confirmed or not whether they are family, the
reunion has concluded so that the participants go home disappointed. Video
reunions would certainly make that process much more efficient. Nonetheless, I
still hold that it would be better to be able to make physical contact.
10. Normalizing the reunions, or making
them an established and recurring convention has been mentioned along with
video reunions. What is the likelihood of this event becoming a regular
fixture?
To establish it as a convention first
requires agreeing on a time at which the reunions take place. Ideally, the
reunions would take place as often as possible. Both countries have agreed to
hold the reunions more frequently in the future, but as to when in the future
remains unspecified. It is also true that the North Korean leaders publicly
said let’s keep the promises this time.
However, it seems that the regime doesn’t
welcome the thought of normalizing the reunions. Every time that a reunion is
held, they have to expend a lot of effort to search out people; in addition, as
aforementioned, some North Koreans actively try to avoid participating in the
reunions. These factors lessen the possibility that the reunions will become a
fixed, periodical occurrence.
Moreover, the North Korean participants are
told to keep silent about the whole event by their handlers. Nonetheless, it is
inevitable that people will talk about what they have seen. They might not have
seen South Korea firsthand, but they can see and sense from the countenance of
their South Korean relatives as to how well off they are.
Hence, North Korea might actually consider
the reunions as a political and not a humanitarian issue, which is
understandable. Nonetheless, is there indeed any good reasons to prevent
families from seeing each other for 70 years? North Korea should treat the
reunions as an exception to the rule, and decide to be generous by allowing the
divided families to see each other as frequently as possible.
11. In order to have recurring reunions,
what preparations and concessions do both countries need to make?
No major procedural preparations remain to
be sorted out between the two countries. As to concessions, the South has
conceded to North Korea’s demands many times in the past. For instance, we have
previously proposed that the reunions be held at Kaesong, as its location is
more convenient to the elderly who would be better able to arrive, and not be
transported back to South Korea before getting to the destination. There is a
hotel in Kaesong which is unused, which has 100 rooms that can each accommodate
30-40 people. Plus, the number of boardrooms and plaza in the complex make
Kaesong an ideal place space wise as well.
However, North Korea hasn’t agreed to
hold it at Kaesong. I hope that North Korea will agree to have the
reunions at Kaesong at some point in the future and also increase the
number of participants. This year would be a good opportunity to do so as it’s
the 70th anniversary of Korean Liberation. It would be ideal if it could
include families who have met before as well as those who have not yet met.
12. Some fear that the reunions might be
cancelled. How likely is it that they will indeed be cancelled?
The proposed timing of the reunions is
concerning. After each side makes preparations and compiles their lists of
participants, the reunions are scheduled to take place in mid-October. However,
an earlier date would have been preferable. October 10, 2015 is the 70th anniversary
of Party Foundation Day in the North. North Korea has repeatedly stated that in order to mark
the occasion, it will carry out a demonstration of its strength, which could
include test firing a long-range missile or a nuclear test.
Such a demonstration would undoubtedly sour
inter-Korean relations and jeopardize the reunions. The second round of last
year’s reunions was canceled by North Korea because of the Key Resolve exercises. As
mentioned, it would be better to have the reunions earlier; yet, both countries
have jointly promised to hold a round of reunions this year so we should have
hope that the reunions will take place no matter what.
13. Some are saying that the reunions will
be the beginning of greater civilian exchanges between the two countries. What
do you think about this point?
It would be great if this year’s reunions
could spark greater exchanges. Nonetheless, the relationship between North and
South heretofore has not been like that of drama episodes. Instead, it has been
a series of one act plays with very long intervals in between. Drama episodes
build on each other, but one act plays have no relation to each other. In the
same way, a successful reunion at one point does not suggest that the next
reunion will be just as successful.
14. Your song “Armistice Line” has the
following lyrics: “The clouds follow the wind over the mountains / The birds
leisurely cross the armistice line / But why can’t I go? My home is in those
beautiful mountains and streams / I think I’m going to cry.” They were very
touching.
You have been studying reunification for a
very long time. Reunification is the aspiration not only of divided families
but of all of us on the Korean Peninsula. Please tell us what preparations
you feel will be necessary for reunification.
The birds can fly over the armistice line
at will, so that they are well acquainted with both Koreas. However, we cannot
cross over easily, so that both countries don’t know much about each other.
Reunification without sufficient knowledge of each other will cause lots of
fighting. Therefore, before reunification is finally achieved, we must learn as
much as possible about North Koreans. For instance, what is called squid in
South Korea is actually called octopus in the North, and vice versa. We shouldn’t
fight over whether stir-fried octopus is indeed octopus or squid. Hence,
knowing much of each other will allow us to avoid fights over both trivial and
important issues as much as possible.
