Over 100,000 South Koreans separated from their family members in North Korea by the Korean War have died of old age, according to Seoul’s unification ministry, the first time the number has crossed the six-figure mark.

Data released by the ministry last week showed 100,148 separated family members had died as of the end of 2025, out of a total of 134,516 people registered with the South Korean government since 1988.

Two new applicants were registered in December, while 292 others died the same month, leaving only 34,368 survivors.

The number of survivors decreased by 2,573 since the end of