30 percent of those who applied to meet their dispersed family members have died before their dreams could be made real.
According to the Integrated Information Center for Separated Families operated by the Ministry of Unification, 27.9 percent of those who applied for a reunion with their separated family members living in North Korea from 1988 to late June 2008 have already died. That’s 35,477 out of 127,251.
According to the Korea Institute for National Unification, the number of applicants for family reunions who pass away amounts to 3000-4000 every year.
The age range of applicants for reunions comprise of 3.9 percent over 90, 30.2 percent over 80, 40.4 percent over 70, 16.1 percent over 60, and 9.4 percent under 60, so those aged 70 or above are in the majority, 74.5 percent, a number which has increased by 8.6 percent comparing with 2004.
With the exception of the deceased, men represent 65.6% (31,550) of total applicants, and women 34.4% (31,550). Many of the applicants’ hometowns are in Hwanghae Province (21,544; 23.5%) and South Pyongan Province (12,538; 13.7%).
The Lee Myung Bak administration chose the issue of the separated families’ reunions as a priority goal among humanitarian issues. In March, the Ministry of Unification reported to President Lee that the Ministry would establish a regular reunion system to solve the aged separated families’ issue on a preferential basis as one of this year’s 12 most urgent problems of the Ministry, and use the opportunity to open an interview room for separated families at Mt. Geumgang.
However, the prospects for the Ministry’s attempt looks gloomy because of the deadlocked relations between the North and the South. The interview room at Mt. Geumgang was supposed to open in late this month, but it is still ambiguous when the ceremony for the completion of the interview room and the resumption of family reunions will come about.
The South Korean administration takes the position of holding the Red Cross talks in order to negotiate the separated family issue with North Korea, but the possibility of North Korea accepting this position is definitely low. This is because North Korea considers activities conducted through the channel of the Red Cross as governmental activities.
Unless the South pays some rewards to the North for the reunion of the separated families, it does not look so easy to resume the reunion. This is because former administrations have provided the North with fertilizers so as to make the reunion of the separated families possible.
Regarding this, an affiliate with the Lee administration said that “We expect to make advancement on the issue of the separated families on account of the ceremony for the completion of the interview room at Mt. Geumgang. Thus, we will see North Korea’s attitude at that time.”
Senior researcher of the Korea Institute for National Unification Im Soon Hee expressed her concerns through her latest paper on “the issue of the South and the North separated families,” “Drawing from the current South-North diplomatic relations, issues such as resumptions of the reunions, general intercommunications, opening of the interview room at Mt. Geumgang and many others hold dim prospects.”
