Overall demand for exchanges declines as S. Koreans separated from family in N. Korea age
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 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 program to reunite separated families and relatives.
The survey revealed that 75.5 percent 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 percent 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 percent of respondents, while only 14.4 percent prioritized in-person meetings.
When asked which policy to address the issue of separated families was most urgent, 77.2 percent of respondents prioritized the "implementation of a comprehensive life status verification and notification system in case of death."
The second most urgent policy, chosen by 37 percent, was the regularization of reunions for separated families, followed by 18.2 percent 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 percent said no. Among those unwilling to travel, 58.7 percent 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 percent responded positively.
Among the 4,842 respondents with no prior interaction with separated family members or relatives in North Korea, 47.9 percent said they had no intention of confirming the life or death of their loved ones in North Korea. Of these, 91.1 percent 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 program to locate separated families. Of these, 25,282 were domestic respondents, with 85.3 percent aged 70 or older, while 91 overseas respondents included 79.2 percent 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 percent prioritized life status verification, 57.2 percent preferred reunions, 52.1 percent supported letter or video exchanges, and 43 percent wished to visit their hometowns. Overall demand for exchanges has declined compared to 2021, when preferences were 75.7 percent, 65.8 percent, 60 percent, and 69.7 percent, 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 percent were aged 90 or older, 39.5 percent were in their 80s, and 21.7 percent were in their 70s.
