Estimated 16,000 died while awaiting reunions with separated families in 5 yrs: data

SEOUL, June 11 (Yonhap) -- Approximately 16,000 elderly South Koreans are presumed to have died over the past five years while awaiting reunions with family members in North Korea who were separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, data showed Sunday.

According to data from the unification ministry, around 3,400 to 3,700 people have died every year since August 2018, when the last face-to-face family reunion event was held, with the estimated total number of deaths coming to around 16,000. The data was released by Rep. Yang Kyung-sook of the main opposition Democratic Party.

Since the first inter-Korean summit in 2000, the two Koreas have held 21 rounds of reunion events, but they have been suspended amid frosty inter-Korean relations following the no-deal summit between the North and the United States in Hanoi in early 2019.

As of the end of last month, out of 133,680 applicants who had registered with the government for family reunions, a total of 92,534 people have died, accounting for 69.2 percent.

Notably, among the 41,146 surviving applicants, 31.1 percent are aged 90 or older, with those aged 80 or older accounting for 67 percent, according to the data.

The issue of separated families has become increasingly urgent as more elderly people pass away without having the opportunity to meet their loved ones in the North due to the reclusive regime's reluctance to hold family reunion events.

Yang emphasized the need to prioritize identifying whether relatives in North Korea are still alive and to confirm their addresses through talks with Pyongyang.

"The two Koreas should make efforts as soon as possible to organize reunion events for separated families in a humanitarian level," Yang said.

khj@yna.co.kr
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