[Disappearing Farewells]② Policies Missing Dialogue... Reunions of Separated Families Remain 'Stuck in Place'

Criticism of Ineffective Separated Families Policy Lacking North Korea's Response
'Unsent Video Letters'... 6 Billion Won Invested Over 17 Years
"Stop Political Exploitation, Take Drastic Measures for Dialogue"

Editor's NoteIt has been 70 years since the sounds of war ceased on the Korean Peninsula, yet separated families still live with the wounds of separation. Every time the administration changes, the North Korea policy fluctuates, turning once high hopes into disappointment. Meanwhile, the little child who lost his father's hand during the war has become an elderly person with deep wrinkles. Through stories filled with resentment spanning over half a century, this article sheds light on the national task of 'separated families reunion' and seeks solutions.

The policy on separated families is repeatedly stagnating. Because family reunions have been used as 'political events,' criticism has arisen that it is no longer a national task but a waste of budget. To enhance the effectiveness of the policy, there are calls for extraordinary efforts to 'resume dialogue.'

According to the Ministry of Unification on the 15th, the government recently announced the 4th Basic Plan for Promoting Inter-Korean Separated Families Exchange (2023?2025), setting 'full-scale exchange' as the goal. It also prioritized 'comprehensive confirmation of life and death' by exchanging the full list of surviving members with the North. Although the reality is that resuming dialogue between the two Koreas is difficult at the moment, this is because the highest demand in the separated families survey was for confirmation of life and death (75.7%).

However, confirmation of life and death is an area that can also be handled by civilians. There is some regret as demands for more direct exchanges such as hometown visits (69.7%) and reunions (65.8%) followed at similar levels. Above all, comprehensive confirmation of life and death is a task that even the Moon Jae-in administration, which succeeded in arranging family reunions, did not achieve, clearly showing limitations as North Korea's response is essential.

Policy Implementation Lacking 'North Korea's Response'... Undelivered Video Letters

The separated family video letters that were not delivered to the North are stored in the Annex of the Seoul Office of the Korean Red Cross Separated Families Civil Service Office.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Policies promoted by the Ministry of Unification have also faced criticism as budget waste. Video letters are a representative example. This project began in 2005 during the Roh Moo-hyun administration to substitute reunions for elderly or mobility-impaired individuals. In fact, the two Koreas agreed to exchange video letters quarterly at the 9th Inter-Korean Red Cross talks in November 2007.

The problem lies in the results. By the end of last year, a total of 25,078 video letters for separated families had been produced, but only 40 pilot exchanges were actually delivered to the North in February 2008. The remaining 25,038 letters (99.8%) remain as 'undelivered letters.' The Ministry of Unification emphasizes their significance as 'records,' but the fact that the budget invested in video letters that were not delivered as originally intended amounts to 6.08 billion KRW raises questions.

Reunion Centers Cost Tens of Billions in Maintenance Despite Being Unusable

Separated Families Video Reunion Center

The same applies to video reunion centers. In 2021, during the Moon Jae-in administration, the Ministry of Unification spent 684 million KRW to expand seven video reunion centers in provincial areas. The purpose was to supplement the concentration of existing reunion centers in the metropolitan and large city areas and improve accessibility for separated families. Authorities explained that this decision considered the aging of separated families and the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

However, at that time, inter-Korean relations had entered a tense phase, making it an inappropriate time to increase reunion centers. North Korea had already blown up the Inter-Korean Joint Liaison Office in June 2020, and Jang Kum-chol, then head of the United Front Department, stated, "There can be no exchanges or cooperation with the South Korean authorities in the future." Above all, video reunions lose effectiveness if the North's facilities are not guaranteed, even if South Korea expands its facilities extensively.

Ultimately, reunion centers that were built but remain unused are criticized for wasting budget. Especially in April 2019, 2.78 billion KRW was spent to renovate 13 existing video reunion centers under the pretext of resuming video reunions. However, no video reunions were held throughout the Moon administration. Even now, maintaining 20 unused video reunion centers costs at least 37 million KRW annually.

Did the Yoon Administration, Which Cut Separated Families Exchange Budget, Have the Will to Solve the Issue?

Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se [Photo by Yonhap News]

Since the inauguration of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, it has become even more difficult to expect North Korea's response. With security emphasized under the concept of 'peace through strength,' military tensions have escalated. Reflecting the lowered expectations for separated families reunions, the Ministry of Unification cut the budget for separated families exchange by more than 10% compared to the previous year. According to the preliminary review report on the 2023 budget by the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee, this year's budget for supporting separated families exchange by the Ministry of Unification was set at 18.027 billion KRW, a 10.9% reduction from last year's 20.23 billion KRW. By category, the budget for face-to-face reunion events was reduced by 1.95 billion KRW as the number of such events was cut from four to three.

Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se proposed talks to North Korea for separated families reunions ahead of Chuseok last year but received no response. It was criticized for being a public proposal without close coordination or contact with the North. Professor Im Eul-chul of Kyungnam University's Institute for Far Eastern Studies said, "Separated families reunion events require trust restoration between the two Koreas to be pursued sustainably, but the problem has been their use as political events," diagnosing that "the most humanitarian issue has become the most politicized." He added, "Despite the North Korean nuclear issue, transforming the separated families issue into a humanitarian matter is a very important task," advising, "Including confidential behind-the-scenes efforts, the government needs to show movements that demonstrate a special will to resolve the separated families issue."