Ministry of Unification and ROK Red Cross will launch a joint survey of separated families who registered in the ministry’s information system to find their missing family members. The survey is scheduled to start from mid-April and be completed in August. 81,808 out of 128,523 separated families are known to be alive whereas the remaining 46,715 are deceased.
Embarking on the survey, Minister Hyun In-taek sent a letter to express his deep condolence to the separated families. The minister explained that the aim of the survey is to fundamentally address problems caused by the separation, calling for active participation of the families.The minister’s letter emphasized that works including all the families’ clarification of fate, message exchanges, and regular reunion must be realized. Minister Hyun especially stressed the need for the elderly’s visit to their hometown.
Also, the minister said he was about to have inter-Korean Red Cross talk on separated families and humanitarian aid last November 25 but the discussion was canceled due to the North’s artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island. The survey will be conducted on all the people registered in Integrated Information System for Separated Families. Researchers are going to conduct telephone survey first and visit the respondents in person afterwards.
Ministry of Unification
