Inter-Korean Relationship at a Glance

History of Inter-Korean Relations in Numbers

For the past three decades or so, South and North Korea have exerted various efforts for exchange and cooperation to heal the old wounds left by the division and to seek ways for peaceful coexistence.
This page provides an overview of how the two Koreas worked together to cooperate with each other amid conflict and antagonism. This quick review will help you imagine a future where the South and the North stand united as one.

1,465,499 people

The total number of cross-border travelers between South and North Korea
1,456,446 visited North Korea from South Korea,
and 9,053 visited South Korea from North Korea (as of August 2018).

55,902 people

The total number of cross-border travelers by air between South and North Korea
The total number of voyages stands at 841 (as of August 2018).

74,400,000t

The total freight volume that crossed the inter-Korean border by sea
The total number of voyages stands at 49,778 (as of August 2018).

310.9t

The total freight volume that crossed the inter-Korean border by rail
The total number of trips stands at 448 (as of August 2018).

01

Social, Cultural Cooperation

2018

August 25 and 26

The unified Korean canoe team won the gold medal in the 500m women’s dragon boat race at the Asian Games 2018 Jakarta-Palembang on Aug. 26. It was the first medal earned by a joint South and North Korean team at an international multi-sports event. The day before, the unified team won bronze in the 200m women’s dragon boat race.

2018

August 18

In the Opening Ceremony of the Asian Games 2018 Jakrata-Palembang, at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, South Korean basketball player Lim Yung-hui and North Korean soccer player Ju Kyong Chol together carried the unified Korea flag. The two Koreas formed a joint team under the name “Korea (COR)” for three sports events: women’s basketball, canoe dragon boat, and rowing.

2018

July 21

North Korea sent a 25-member delegation, including Secretary General to the North Korean Table Tennis Association Ju Jong Chol, to attend the 2018 Korea Open in Daejeon from July 17 to 21. Athletes formed four joint teams. The South’s Jang Woo-jin and the North’s Cha Hyo Sim pair won gold in the mixed double event. The joint men’s doubles team tied with the Chinese team for third place.

02

Tourism

11 years

The total duration of the North Korea's tourism program for South Koreans

The program involved tours around Mt. Geumgangsan and Gaeseong. The tours began on November 18, 1998 and lasted for 11 years before the program was discontinued on November 29, 2008.

1,934,662 people

Geumgangsan Mountains Cumulative Number of Tourists

112,033 people

Gaeseong Cumulative Number of Tourists
03

Economy

2.48 Bil USD

The total inter-Korean trade volume

The total volume of exports from South Korea stands at USD 12.6 billion, and the total volume of imports into the country stands at USD 12.2 billion. The two Koreas carried out 809,316 transactions (as of July, 2018). The total number of inter-Korean cooperation projects stands at 483.

500 cows

The number of cows sent to North Korea

The number of cows that Chung Joo-young, the former Honorary Chairman of Hyundai Group, sent to North Korea on June 16, 1998 The late entrepreneur crossed Panmunjeom with 50 trucks carrying 500 cows on his visit to North Korea. He brought 501 more cows on his second visit, on October 27.

15t

The total volume of food aids sent to North Korea from South Korea

The total volume of food aids sent to North Korea from South Korea in 1995. South Korea sent 11.05t of fertilizers in 1999, and provided the first “food loan” to North Korea in 2000. The loan consisted of 300,000t of rice and 200,000t of corn.

2002

The year of the groundbreaking ceremony for the railroad connecting North Korea’s Gyeongui Line and South Korea’s Donghae Line

A test run on the railroad was carried out in 2007. The two Koreas agreed to conduct joint inspections on the Gyeongui railway junction in July, 2018 in accordance with the historic Panmunjeom Declaration and Inter-Korean Railway Cooperation Talks.

3.2 Bil USD

The total production of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex

The construction kicked off in 2003, and the pilot complex was completed in 2004. Between 2005 and 2015, the complex hosted 125 residential businesses and employed 55,808 workers.

04

Separated Family Members

24,509 people

The total number of separated family members reunited through personal visits

A total of 4,912 families have been reunited thus far.

132,731 people

The total number of people
who applied to be reunited with their separated family members thus far

Surviving applicants 56,707 people (43%)
The deceased 76,024 people (57%)
Average age 81

81 years old

The average age of surviving applicants for reunion of separated family members  (as of August 2018).

The Peninsula remains divided as the surviving members of separated families grow older.

3,748 people

The total number of people reunited through video reunions

The total number of separated family members in South and North Korea reunited through 7 video reunions. A total of 557 families exchanged video messages through the program.

157 people

The total number of separated family members reunited in 1985 through the first hometown visit since the division. Starting on September 20, 35 families from South Korea and 30 families from North Korea visited each other in Seoul and Pyeongyang over a four day period.

20,604 people

The total number of separated family members reunited through the 21 reunions between 2000 and 2018, after the two Koreas reached the first agreement to exchange hometown visit groups on Liberation Day. A total of 4,290 families were reunited at Mt. Geumgangsan and other locations during this period.

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