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= KBS Finding Dispersed Families =

Finding Dispersed Families was 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 that had been separated due to the division of the Korean Peninsula's arising from the Cold War and the Korean War. The broadcast was initially filmed at the KBS Headquarters in Yeouido Park in Seoul yet later 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 agreement to ceasefire 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, leaving the producers aware of the wide breadth of Korean families dispersed by war and their continued suffering. As a result, KBS President Lee Won-hong granted permission for an extended special broadcast to be aired, leading to the creation of Finding Dispersed Families.

Whilst the program 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, uniting 10 000 families over its course.

Finding Dispersed Families received international acclaim and humanitarian praise, cementing its place in UNESCO's Memory of the World Register in 2015. The archives of the program can be accessed by the public via the KBS website or through searching using key words on any Korean portal site.

Background
There were two key stages in Korean history in which significant numbers of families were separated who later appeared on the Finding Dispersed Families broadcast. These eras were titled the Liberation period (1945 - 1950) following the Cold War and the Korean War period (1950 - 1953).

The Cold War
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 nation-wide attempts at independence, which ultimately failed on March 1, 1919. 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 formally constructed 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
The Korean War further cemented the segregation between the North and South peninsula as political tensions heightened. The three year conflict, beginning when the 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, was worsened as families were unable to communicate with those living on the other side of the 38th parallel 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 to mark the 33rd anniversary of the war and the 30th anniversary of the armistice agreement (July 27, 1953).

Finding Participants
Advertising to appear on KBS' broadcast special Finding Dispersed Families went live on June 26, 1983 with an original plan to air 200 stories on the program. Within two days, over 1000 applications were received, leading producers to make the decision that 850 people would be featured on the broadcast. These applicants were interviewed and divided into four groups based on the likelihood of being reunited with their family. Those with the highest likelihood of reunion presented their cases first on the program. In order to feature all 850 applicants selected, each individual shared their case to find their missing family member through holding up a sign that featured a number and their story. On the first day of the program, 36 Korean's were reunited with their long-lost family members. The day following the broadcast, the walls of the KBS building as well as neighbouring sidewalks and the Yoeuido Plaza were covered with posters looking for separated relatives. The police were called to maintain order and guidance and the "Finding Dispersed Families Headquarters" was established. The second live broadcast began at 10:15pm on July 1, 1953 and marked the start of the 138 days of live broadcasting that followed.

Airing
In order to carry out the broadcast successfully, KBS employed 1641 broadcasting experts at a corporate level. Journalists from 25 nations delivered reunion news in front of the KBS lobby and KBS installed 24 television sets inside and outside the building to help Korean civilians stay up to date with the program. Whilst over 100,952 people applied to appear on the program, only 53,536 cases were aired. The broadcast ended at 4 am. on November 14, 1983.

Significance
This section will discuss national significance, pointing to the use of mass media to achieve reunions otherwise not possible, as well as its global significance, in publicising the lesser-known consequences of the Cold War and Korean War.

Legacy
The program’s legacy will also be detailed in terms of the awards it has received as well as its recognition by UNESO. This section is necessary to provide readers with an understanding of the program’s continued relevance.

Streaming Availability
This section will provide detail on the archives of the program, which contains 20, 522 records including 463 original tapes as well as producer’s journals and storyboards. This will allow readers to continue to deepen their investigation of the topic through accessing original footage and documents.