Starting This Year, Two Days Before Chuseok is Designated as 'Isan Gajok Day'

Reflecting Separated Families' Opinions... Lunar August 13
The Only Official Commemoration Day Supervised by the Ministry of Unification

The "Day of Separated Families," which had been commemorated on different dates by private groups, has been set to the 13th day of the 8th lunar month, two days before Chuseok. It is expected to raise public interest in the issue of separated families while also providing a new opportunity for inter-Korean discussions on the matter.

According to the Ministry of Unification on the 28th, the National Assembly passed a partial amendment to the Act on Confirming the Life and Death and Promoting Exchanges of Separated Families between the South and the North at the plenary session the day before, designating the 13th day of the 8th lunar month as the Day of Separated Families and allowing the state and local governments to hold commemorative events and promotional activities in line with its purpose.

An official from the Ministry of Unification explained, "Efforts to designate a Day of Separated Families had not received much attention because it was not considered an urgent matter or was seen as having little practical benefit. However, since the issue of separated families has become an unavoidable matter, it seems that momentum has been gained this time."

Final Farewell

As efforts to resolve the issue of separated families have repeatedly failed, a significant number of the first-generation separated families have passed away. According to the Ministry of Unification, the cumulative number of applicants for separated family reunions is 133,675, of whom only 42,624 (31.9%) are still alive.

The significance of legally designating the Day of Separated Families lies in unifying the events that private organizations had been holding on different dates. Until now, the Ten Million Separated Families Committee held a commemorative ceremony every year on the 13th day of the 8th lunar month, while the Tongil Gyeongmohoe held a joint memorial service on Chuseok day.

Various opinions were also raised at the National Assembly to enhance interest in the issue of separated families. Tae Young-ho, a member of the People Power Party, proposed commemorating September 20, 1985, when separated families and performing arts groups simultaneously exchanged visits in Seoul and Pyongyang. Lee Won-eun, a member of the Democratic Party, advocated for the day before the Chuseok holiday (two days before Chuseok), which was the most preferred reunion day according to a separated families survey. As a result of the discussions, there was consensus to reflect the wishes of the separated families themselves as much as possible, leading to the designation of the 13th day of the 8th lunar month as the Day of Separated Families.

The Ministry of Unification plans to hold the first commemorative event starting this year. An official from the Ministry said, "The Day of Separated Families is the only statutory commemorative day organized by the Ministry of Unification," adding, "We hope it will serve as an opportunity to increase public interest in the issue of separated families."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.