More than 50,000 South Koreans are still waiting to reunite with their family members in the North, with Thursday marking 70 years since the Korean War began in 1950.

More than 80,000 divided family members have already passed away in South Korea, according to recent government data, prompting advocates to call for more family reunions regardless of the state of inter-Korean affairs.

“Every June 25, we cannot help but think of our family members in the North,” Song Nak-hwan, director of the Inter-Korean Separated Families Association, told NK News on Thursday.

“The separated families’ only wish is to hear about their