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Memory of the World

Memory of the World- Republic of Korea
The Archives of the KBS Special Live Broadcast "Finding Dispersed Families"


The Archives of the KBS Special Live Broadcast "Finding Dispersed Families" comprises 20,522 records of live broadcasts by the Korean Broadcasting System of reunions of war-dispersed families from June 30 through November 14, 1983. it holds 463 videotapes of 453 hours and 45 minutes of broadcasts, producers' journals, applications to participate, broadcast ephemera, audiotapes, and photographs.

The Archives of the KBS Special Live Broadcast finding dispersed families

Authenticity

 -  The KBS Special Live Broadcast "Finding Dispersed Families" was aired daily on channel KBS1, beginning at 10:15 p.m. on June 30 and ending at 4 a.m. on November 14, 1983, marking a total of 453 hours and 45 minutes of live broadcasting over 138 days. The whole live broadcast was recorded. The 463 tapes of the original recordings, and other materials generated in the course of broadcasting such as the posters carrying participants' capsule stories, cue sheets, programming schedules, radio recording materials, and photos are all authentic originals that have been preserved in the KBS archives. Most of the records generated by the central government and local autonomous bodies have been preserved in the National Archives of Korea.

The Archives of the KBS Special Live Broadcast finding dispersed families The Archives of the KBS Special Live Broadcast finding dispersed families The Archives of the KBS Special Live Broadcast finding dispersed families

The Archives of the KBS Special Live Broadcast finding dispersed families The Archives of the KBS Special Live Broadcast finding dispersed families The Archives of the KBS Special Live Broadcast finding dispersed families

 
World Significance
 -  TV shows the tragedy of war and national division to the world The Archives of the KBS Special Live Broadcast "Finding Dispersed Families" are vivid records that show the world the wretchedness wrought by war and inspire respect for human rights and love for humanity. The world watched as hordes of people looking for lost family members crowded Yeouido Plaza and the areas around KBS headquarters. The then U.N. Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar expressed deep sympathy and understanding of the tragedy of dispersed families when he met with the Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Kim Kyung-won on July 21, 1983. During the 70th assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union held in Seoul, 17 members from 7 countries visited the KBS broadcast site, along with the directors of the International Human Rights Commission. At the general assembly of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union held in October 1983 in Auckland, New Zealand, there was a screening of a 30-minute English-language documentary on the subject of dispersed families. Stationed at the press center set up in the central hall at KBS headquarters, journalists from 25 countries reported on the family reunions in real time, and the news was broadcast on ABC's "Nightline" program in the United States.

 -  For its humanitarian contribution, the KBS Special Live Broadcast "Finding Dispersed Families" was highly acclaimed around the world. It was named the "most humanitarian program of 1983" by journalists at the 6th World Media Conference held on September 5-10 that year in Cartagena, Columbia. At the 24th God Mercury International Peace and Cooperation Summit held on February 17, 1984, in Gabon, Africa, KBS became the first broadcasting organization to win the Gold Mercury International Ad Honorem award. The award, generally granted to individuals or organizations that have made a contribution to world peace, was won by KBS in recognition of the achievement of the special broadcast "Finding Dispersed Families" in reporting on the scars of war and raising awareness of the importance of human rights and peace not only in Korea but all over the world. The program has also been used as a course material for broadcasting majors at the University of Greenwich in London. Although there are many cases of war and separation of families around the world, in no other instance has the sorrow and longing of those war-dispersed people been so vividly expressed through a TV program.