President Lee says resolving separated families' plight cannot wait
Summary
President Lee Jae Myung called the plight of families separated by the 1950-1953 Korean War the most pressing issue facing the two Koreas in a statement marking the fourth Separated Families Day. The statement was read by Unification Minister Chung Dong-young while Lee was in New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly. Lee said the two Koreas can no longer delay the issue and urged them to set aside hostility and keep pursuing it even as relations remain stalled.
Key Facts
- The statement said eight years have passed since the last reunion of separated families.
- Chung Dong-young said he was born on July 27, 1953, the day the Korean War armistice was signed.
- Kim Hyung-seok, professor emeritus of philosophy at Yonsei University, spoke as a first-generation member of separated families and was born in Pyongyang in 1920.
- Jung Min-soon, head of the separated families committee, urged the government to build a memorial dedicated to preserving the families’ stories.
- The government said 134,843 people were registered as separated families at the end of August, and 101,895 of them had died; about 67 percent of the survivors were aged 80 or older.
The fourth Separated Families Day takes place in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday called the plight of families separated by the 1950-1953 Korean War "the most pressing issue" facing the two Koreas.
The president made the remarks in a statement marking the fourth Separated Families Day, read by Unification Minister Chung Dong-young, as Lee is currently in New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
"Eight years have passed since the last reunion, and we can no longer afford to delay this," Lee said. "Families should be able to reach and see one another, no matter where in the world they live."
He called on both Koreas to set aside hostility and confrontation in favor of respect and genuine exchange, adding that his government would keep pursuing the issue even with inter-Korean relations at a standstill.
After reading the president's statement, Chung offered a personal reflection. He was born on July 27, 1953, the day the Korean War armistice was signed.
That coincidence has always felt meaningful to him, Chung said, adding the two Koreas cannot remain "at war" forever and that the armistice should eventually give way to a lasting peace.
Kim Hyung-seok, professor emeritus of philosophy at Yonsei University, took the podium as a first-generation member of separated families.
Born in Pyongyang in 1920, he said he never imagined leaving his hometown during the war would keep him from home for so long.
"Like water flows from higher ground to lower ground, so does love," he said. "Likewise, freedom and a freer political system will eventually prevail."
Jung Min-soon, head of the separated families committee, urged the government to build a memorial dedicated to preserving the families' stories.
"We owe it to future generations to pass these stories on and to remind them what peace is worth," he said.
The number of separated families registered with the government amounted to 134,843 as of the end of August. Of the total, 101,895 people have passed away. Approximately 67 percent of those still living are elderly aged 80 and older.
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