Korea's Divided Families : Fifty Years of Separation

The divided families problem is a serious social issue in North and South Korea, involving hundreds of thousands of first generation divided family members, most of whom have not seen their relatives since the Korean War. It is the most pressing humanitarian issue between the two Koreas, and is connected to the greater issue of human rights in North Korea today. However, little serious academic work exists on the subject, in either English or Korean. This new study, based on research conducted in Korea, including interviews in 2001 with Korean families who benefited from the most recent exchanges, addresses the many issues surrounding the divided family problem, and highlights its importance in the path towards Korean rapprochement. "The divided families problem is the most serious humanitarian issue facing North and South Korea in their difficult and painful path towards rapprochement. Involving hundreds of thousands of first-generation divided family members, the vast majority of whom have not seen their relatives since the Korean War, it is, given the advanced ages of those it most directly concerns, the most urgent and pressing of the many aspects of Korea's long and painful divide." "This new study, based on research conducted by the author in South Korea, including interviews conducted in summer 2001 with Korean families who benefited from the most recent exchanges to be briefly and temporarily reunited with their loved ones, addresses the many issues surrounding the divided families problem, and highlights its vital importance in the path towards Korean rapprochement."--Jacket