 |
| ▲ Unification Minister Kwon Young-se, South Korea's point man on inter-Korean relations, holds a press conference at the government complex in Seoul on Sept. 8, 2022, to propose talks with North Korea to discuss the issue of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War. The proposal came on the eve of the Chuseok holiday, which is one of the biggest annual celebrations for both South and North Koreans. (Yonhap) |
unification minister-separated families
S. Korean minister urges N. Korea to respond to offer of talks on separated families
SEOUL, March 2 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's unification minister called Thursday on North Korea to respond positively to Seoul's dialogue offer on reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.
Kwon Young-se delivered the message at an event to celebrate the 54th anniversary of the founding of the ministry, stressing that there is "not much time left" for the surviving families.
"Our government makes our stance clear once again that it will continue to seek (inter-Korean) cooperation to address humanitarian issues, including humanitarian aid and separated families, regardless of the political and military situations," he said.
In September last year, Kwon publicly proposed talks with the North on the eve of the Chuseok fall harvest holiday to discuss the issue of separated families.
North Korea has remained unresponsive to the South's outreach for inter-Korean talks 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 year, almost 66 percent of the surviving family members were 80 years of age or older, according to government data.
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
