March 28, 2024
News

Families separated by Korean War giving up hope of meeting loved ones: Survey

Unification ministry notes many victims are elderly and in poor health, and 82% don’t know if family in North is alive

More and more people separated from their families since the Korean War are giving up hope of reuniting with their loved ones in North Korea, as many consider themselves “too old” and in “bad health,” a new South Korean government survey showed Thursday.

The 2021 survey from the unification ministry found that almost 22.4% of respondents said they do not want to try to find out if their families in North Korea are alive anymore — a spike from 12.5% in 2016. Demand for reunions and letter exchanges also decreased by around 10 percentage points.

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