About half of some 60-thousand war-divided South Koreans have consented to verifying the living statuses of their North Korean relatives.
 
In a forum Tuesday in Seoul, Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo said that his ministry surveyed all separated South Koreans to ascertain if they wanted to learn the whereabouts of their family members in the North.
 
Hong added that the remaining 30-thousand were out of contact or did not agree for various reasons.
 
He said that North Korea agrees on the need to verify the living statuses of separated families and is aware of the problems with the current method of holding reunions. However, Hong explained the North remains passive about reaching and implementing an agreement.
 
Regarding Pyongyang’s silence about Seoul’s proposal to hold a preliminary contact for government-level talks, the minister said that the North appears to be cautious about inter-Korean relations.
 
He made it clear that it is not yet the time to discuss or hold an inter-Korean summit, stressing the need for more efforts to create a favorable atmosphere for cross-border dialogue.
 
Hong added that nothing special has been confirmed regarding North Korean Workers’ Party Secretary Choe Ryong-hae’s exclusion from a list of committee members preparing the funeral for the late Marshal Ri Ul-sol.