Increase in applications for family reunions

It has been revealed that applications by the families of people who defected to North Korea and of soldiers imprisoned in the North have been on the rise. A source in the Ministry of Unification said, "Following the August 15th separated family reunions, the families of 55 defectors to the North and of 14 soldiers known to be in prison in the North have submitted their applications."

"It appears to be the result of the government`s pledge to provide a greater solution with a wider scope for the issue of separated families," he added.

Meanwhile, another source in the government stated, "The number of applicants for the second round of reunions, which had a September 7th deadline, is estimated at 110,000."

"However, considering the fact that some are duplicate applications and some applicants may have passed away, a more accurate estimation would be 92,000," he added.