Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung emphasized on Saturday that resolving the issue of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War is a “top priority” for both South and North Korea.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee’s statement was delivered in a speech by Second Deputy National Security Adviser Lim Woong-soon during a ceremony for the third Separated Families Day. Despite the current deep-seated mistrust in inter-Korean relations, Lee underscored the importance of addressing the separated families issue through dialogue and cooperation.
Lee committed to enhancing the framework for family exchanges, including the use of DNA tests to potentially reunite families with relatives in North Korea. He expressed a strong determination to foster peace on the Korean Peninsula and expedite the reunion of separated families to prevent their sorrow from affecting future generations.
On the previous day, Lee met with elderly individuals who had fled from North Korea during the war, urging Pyongyang to permit separated families to ascertain the status of their relatives. South Korea established Separated Families Day in 2013, marking it two days before the Chuseok fall harvest holiday, which this year falls on Monday.