Anchor: President Lee Jae Myung has called on North Korea to allow members of families separated by the Korean War to exchange letters, calling this a humanitarian duty. Speaking at the Ganghwa Peace Observatory on Friday, he blamed politicians for bringing inter-Korean reunions to a complete halt, saying he also bears some responsibility. 
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: President Lee Jae Myung on Friday urged North Korea to allow exchanges of letters between members of families separated by the Korean War.

Ahead of the Chuseok Thanksgiving holiday next week, Lee visited the Ganghwa Peace Observatory near the inter-Korean border and met a group of older people who had to leave their loved ones in the North.

[Sound bite: President Lee Jae Myung (Korean-English)]
“Tensions between the South and the North have worsened, and now the hostility has intensified so much that we don’t even talk to each other. While we once had family reunions and allowed exchanges of letters between separated families, now we’re completely cut off. I feel guilty as this is the fault of politicians, including myself. I hope the hostility between the South and the North will ease as soon as possible, and that an environment conducive to communication, exchanges and cooperation will be created, so that this miserable reality, where blood relatives are separated and neither can confirm even whether the other is alive or dead, can be quickly remedied.”

Lee also said he hopes Pyongyang will consider the issue from a humanitarian perspective.  

Friday marks the first day of a long holiday that extends until Thursday next week, during which many South Koreans travel to their hometowns to visit their families. 

Lee joined the group in gazing toward the North, expressed empathy for the citizens’ longing to return to their hometowns, and wished them a warm holiday with their loved ones.

The Korean War left millions of families separated by the heavily fortified border in the Demilitarized Zone. 

According to the unification ministry, more than 97-thousand-350 registered members of separated families had died as of the end of last year. 

That’s more than 70 percent of the total. 

Nearly three-thousand elderly members of separated families died last year, and only 36-thousand-941 people remain in the government registry. 
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.