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Finding Dispersed Families
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Finding Dispersed Families
Finding Dispersed Families (Korean: 이산가족을 찾습니다) is a special live broadcast created and aired by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) from June 30 to November 14, 1983. The television program aimed to reunite Korean families following the division of Korea and the Korean War. The broadcast was initially filmed at the KBS Headquarters in Yeouido Park, Seoul. It later expanded across the nation and featured cases received from nine of KBS' regional branches.
The program was conceived by director Park Hee-ung to pay homage to the 30th anniversary of the ceasefire agreement that brought an end to the Korean War. It was initially pitched as a small segment to be featured on the morning show Studio 830 with the title I Still Haven't Found my Family. Shortly following this pitch, KBS received a large number of applications to appear on the program, alerting the producers to the significant number of Korean families dispersed by war. As a result, KBS president Lee Won-hong granted permission for an extended special broadcast to be aired, which led to the creation of the program.
Whilst the broadcast was originally planned with a duration of 95 minutes, it ran for a total of 453 hours and 45 minutes over 138 days as KBS was inundated with requests for help to re-connect individuals with their lost family members. As a result, 53,000 people were featured on air, reuniting 10,000 families.
Finding Dispersed Families received international attention, and in 2015 was included in UNESCO's Memory of the World International Register.
There were two key stages in Korean history in which significant numbers of families were separated, many of whom later appeared on Finding Dispersed Families. These eras were the Liberation period (1945–1950) following the End of World War II in Asia and the Korean War period (1950–1953).
The division of the Korean peninsula into its North and South states resulted in the separation of over 10 million families and can be viewed as a consequence of the Cold War. After Japan brought an end to the 500-year rule by the Yi Dynasty, Korea experienced 35 years of Japanese colonial rule. This inspired nationwide attempts at independence on March 1, 1919, which ultimately failed. As a result of these failed movements, the nation split into those who turned to the Bolshevik Revolution and Marxism for a solution and those who believed the Western powers, especially the United States, would be able to provide relief. Following Japan's defeat in 1945, the Korean peninsula split along the 38th parallel into Soviet and American zones of occupation. This division was formalized in 1948, when the Republic of Korea was established in the South below the 38th parallel through a United Nations sponsored election. As a result, there was a significant influx of North Korean refugees to the southern peninsula and families separated across the states experienced difficulties maintaining communication.
The Korean War further cemented the division between the north and south of the peninsula as political tensions heightened. The three-year conflict, beginning when North Korean troops entered South Korea on June 25, 1950, set the communist and capitalist forces against each other. Over the course of the war, an estimated 3–4 million people were killed, with as many as 70% of these being civilians. The issue of divided families, known as isan kajok in Korean, worsened as families were unable to communicate with those living on the other side of the Armistice Line and often experienced political injustice due to their association with the "enemy" state. To recognise the major role the Korean War played in separating families, the Finding Dispersed Families program was aired in recognition of the 33rd anniversary of the war's commencement (June 25, 1950) and the 30th anniversary of the armistice agreement (July 27, 1953).
Beginning on June 26, 1983, advertisements solicited applications for appearing on Finding Dispersed Families, with an original plan to air 200 stories on the program. Within two days, over 1,000 applications were received; producers decided that 850 people would be featured on the broadcast. In an attempt to increase the broadcast's success in re-connecting families, these applicants went through a series of interviews and were later assigned to four groups based on the likelihood that they would be reunited with their family. Those with the highest likelihood of reunion presented their cases first on the program. Each individual shared their case to find their missing family member by holding up a sign that featured a number and their story. On the first day of the program, 36 people were reunited with long-lost family members. Within days, the walls of the KBS building as well as neighbouring sidewalks and the Yeouido Plaza were covered with posters looking for separated relatives. Due to large crowds, the police were called to maintain order and safety amongst civilians. As the broadcast continued, the plaza remained full of citizens hoping to feature on the broadcast. Thus, a "Finding Dispersed Families Headquarters" was established at the KBS main building. The secondary part of the live broadcast began on July 1, 1983 at 10:15 p.m. KST, marking the start of the 138 days of live broadcasting that followed.
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Finding Dispersed Families
Finding Dispersed Families (Korean: 이산가족을 찾습니다) is a special live broadcast created and aired by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) from June 30 to November 14, 1983. The television program aimed to reunite Korean families following the division of Korea and the Korean War. The broadcast was initially filmed at the KBS Headquarters in Yeouido Park, Seoul. It later expanded across the nation and featured cases received from nine of KBS' regional branches.
The program was conceived by director Park Hee-ung to pay homage to the 30th anniversary of the ceasefire agreement that brought an end to the Korean War. It was initially pitched as a small segment to be featured on the morning show Studio 830 with the title I Still Haven't Found my Family. Shortly following this pitch, KBS received a large number of applications to appear on the program, alerting the producers to the significant number of Korean families dispersed by war. As a result, KBS president Lee Won-hong granted permission for an extended special broadcast to be aired, which led to the creation of the program.
Whilst the broadcast was originally planned with a duration of 95 minutes, it ran for a total of 453 hours and 45 minutes over 138 days as KBS was inundated with requests for help to re-connect individuals with their lost family members. As a result, 53,000 people were featured on air, reuniting 10,000 families.
Finding Dispersed Families received international attention, and in 2015 was included in UNESCO's Memory of the World International Register.
There were two key stages in Korean history in which significant numbers of families were separated, many of whom later appeared on Finding Dispersed Families. These eras were the Liberation period (1945–1950) following the End of World War II in Asia and the Korean War period (1950–1953).
The division of the Korean peninsula into its North and South states resulted in the separation of over 10 million families and can be viewed as a consequence of the Cold War. After Japan brought an end to the 500-year rule by the Yi Dynasty, Korea experienced 35 years of Japanese colonial rule. This inspired nationwide attempts at independence on March 1, 1919, which ultimately failed. As a result of these failed movements, the nation split into those who turned to the Bolshevik Revolution and Marxism for a solution and those who believed the Western powers, especially the United States, would be able to provide relief. Following Japan's defeat in 1945, the Korean peninsula split along the 38th parallel into Soviet and American zones of occupation. This division was formalized in 1948, when the Republic of Korea was established in the South below the 38th parallel through a United Nations sponsored election. As a result, there was a significant influx of North Korean refugees to the southern peninsula and families separated across the states experienced difficulties maintaining communication.
The Korean War further cemented the division between the north and south of the peninsula as political tensions heightened. The three-year conflict, beginning when North Korean troops entered South Korea on June 25, 1950, set the communist and capitalist forces against each other. Over the course of the war, an estimated 3–4 million people were killed, with as many as 70% of these being civilians. The issue of divided families, known as isan kajok in Korean, worsened as families were unable to communicate with those living on the other side of the Armistice Line and often experienced political injustice due to their association with the "enemy" state. To recognise the major role the Korean War played in separating families, the Finding Dispersed Families program was aired in recognition of the 33rd anniversary of the war's commencement (June 25, 1950) and the 30th anniversary of the armistice agreement (July 27, 1953).
Beginning on June 26, 1983, advertisements solicited applications for appearing on Finding Dispersed Families, with an original plan to air 200 stories on the program. Within two days, over 1,000 applications were received; producers decided that 850 people would be featured on the broadcast. In an attempt to increase the broadcast's success in re-connecting families, these applicants went through a series of interviews and were later assigned to four groups based on the likelihood that they would be reunited with their family. Those with the highest likelihood of reunion presented their cases first on the program. Each individual shared their case to find their missing family member by holding up a sign that featured a number and their story. On the first day of the program, 36 people were reunited with long-lost family members. Within days, the walls of the KBS building as well as neighbouring sidewalks and the Yeouido Plaza were covered with posters looking for separated relatives. Due to large crowds, the police were called to maintain order and safety amongst civilians. As the broadcast continued, the plaza remained full of citizens hoping to feature on the broadcast. Thus, a "Finding Dispersed Families Headquarters" was established at the KBS main building. The secondary part of the live broadcast began on July 1, 1983 at 10:15 p.m. KST, marking the start of the 138 days of live broadcasting that followed.