Overview

• Lee met elderly Korean War refugees at the Ganghwa Peace Observatory in Incheon on Oct. 3, the first day of the Chuseok holiday.
• He urged Pyongyang to permit life-status confirmations and letter exchanges for divided relatives, calling it a responsibility of political leaders on both sides.
• He said inter-Korean ties are completely severed and asked the North to consider limited steps on humanitarian grounds despite ongoing confrontation.
• North Korea has ruled out talks and characterizes relations as between two hostile states, and the border allows no civilian mail or phone links.
• Family reunions occurred 21 times since 2000, last in 2018, with most first-generation members now elderly; his office said he will also prepare for the APEC summit during the holiday.