Unification Minister Chung Dong-young visited 105-year-old separated family member Kim Bong-hwan in Seoul on December 24 and pledged to address humanitarian issues through dialogue with North Korea. Kim asked the minister to confirm whether her family members in the North are still alive, expressing her lifelong wish to reunite with siblings separated during the Korean War. Chung described separated families as the 'biggest sorrow' from the war and vowed to make every effort using various means.
On December 24 in Seoul, Unification Minister Chung Dong-young visited the home of 105-year-old Kim Bong-hwan to console her over decades of separation from family members left in North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. Kim expressed her lifelong wish to reunite with her siblings and asked the minister to confirm if they are still alive.
Referring to separated families as the "biggest sorrow" stemming from the war, Chung pledged to make every effort to resolve humanitarian issues through various means, including dialogue with the North. According to the ministry, of the 134,514 people who applied for reunions with North Korean relatives, only 34,658 were still alive as of late last month, with more than 32 percent aged 90 or older, including 660 over 100.
This visit highlights the ongoing pain of division and underscores the urgency of humanitarian exchanges between the two Koreas. The minister's commitment signals a push for renewed dialogue to address the plight of surviving separated families.
