South Korea has finalized a three-year policy blueprint to guide its approach to families separated by the Korean War, prioritizing efforts to confirm whether family members in North Korea are still alive as survivors age.

In a press release on Wednesday, the unification ministry stressed the urgency of resuming humanitarian exchanges with the DPRK under its fifth Basic Plan for the Promotion of Inter-Korean Exchanges of Separated Families, which will take effect in 2026. 

The ministry’s plan outlines six priority areas, including the resumption of separated family reunions and the revitalization of privately led humanitarian exchanges. 

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