President Lee: "Nearly Half of Separated Family Members Have Died Without a Reunion in Eight Years"... Sends Regards to Family in North Korea

[Financial News] President Lee Jae Myung called for the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue and exchanges to facilitate reunions of separated families. In a written message to separated families ahead of Chuseok, delivered for the September 23 event marking the fourth Separated Families Day at The Plaza Seoul, Autograph Collection, in Jung-gu, Seoul, President Lee offered comfort and made the appeal. His commemorative address was read aloud by Chung Dong-young, Minister of Unification.
President Lee said, "For separated families, the holidays remain a time when their longing grows even deeper in the face of the continued division between North and South Korea. When I think of how keenly that longing must weigh on you, I feel sorry and heavy-hearted."
He also said, "The issue of separated families is the first task that North and South Korea must resolve. Eight years have already passed since the last reunion in 2018, and in the meantime, nearly half of the separated family members who were still alive have passed away without ever fulfilling their wish." He expressed his sorrow over the situation.
President Lee emphasized that North and South Korea must move beyond hostility and confrontation, respect each other, and engage in stable exchanges.
Although distrust between North and South Korea has deepened, he said, the South Korean government would not give up on the path to peace and would steadily open the way for dialogue. He added that the government would do its utmost to resolve the issue by having North and South Korea sit down together again, starting with confirming whether separated family members are alive.
He also promised to systematically collect genetic information from separated families to thoroughly prepare for verifying family relationships and arranging reunions in the future. He said the government would collect and preserve records of separated families' lives so that the pain of division could become a memory that reminds people of the value of peace. President Lee said, "We will expand surveys on the situation of separated families overseas and listen carefully to their voices." He also sent his regards to separated family members in North Korea.


[email protected] Kim Kyung-soo Reporter