• Outline of DMZ
  • Border of DMZ
  • Unification policy by period
  • Reunion of Families separated
  • Interchange & cooperation
  • Railroad / highway project
  • Mt.Geumgang tour

4 Reunion of families separated > 03 - Status of exchange through the 3rd party

Exchange of family separated by a private organization through the 3rd country has been proceeded little by little since the Declaration on 7 July, 1988. Government of people declared ¡®Support plan for promoting of separated family¡¯s reunion¡¯ on 2 Mar., 2000 to solve the matter of family separated and to promote exchange of separated family by a private organization.

Exchange of family separated by a private organization has been on the increase in an exceeding way. As a result of such a government¡¯s support. 1,6648 contact between separated family of South and North Korea was approved. 4672 persons, 28 percents of them, confirmed through the 3rd country and 974 families met in another country.

Exchange by a private organization has accomplished through the good offices of many bodies, such as brothers in foreign countries, domestic private group, the press. Although most of intermediation countries were U.S, Canada, or Japan in the early days, the exchange through China is the main current in these days.

Such an exchange through another country is accompanied with the problems; separated family¡¯s relationship with foreign country, economic capability for expenses, or the safety of a concerned party.

Government has given recognition to contact with residents of North Korea to private or organization agency for the separated family¡¯s exchange through other country since 1993. As a result, exchange between the separated family became easy and inexpensive. 120-exchange agencies for the family reunion have been active at the end of Dec.,

[Exchange status about reunion by year]

Exchange status about reunion by year
Item '85 '90 '91 '92 '93 '94 '95 '96 '97 '98 '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 Total
Non-government Confirmation of life & death - 35 127 132 221 135 104 96 164 377 481 447 208 198 388 3,113
Correspondence - 44 193 462 948 584 571 473 772 469 637 984 579 935 961 8,612
Reunion in
other country
- 6 11 19 12 1 17 18 61 108 195 148 165 203 280 1,254
Reunion in
North Korea
- - - - - - - - - 1 5 4 5 5 4 24
Government Confirmation of life & death 65 - - - - - - - - - - 792 744 133 963 2,697
Correspondence - - - - - - - - - - - 39 623 9 8 679
Reunion in
other country
30 - - - - - - - - - - 201 100 - - 331
Reunion in
North Korea
35 - - - - - - - - - - 205 100 398 598 1,336
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