Unification ministry officials reportedly met with families of South Korean abductees and detainees in North Korea ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays.

Ministry spokesperson Lee Hyo-jeong said on Friday during a regular press briefing that on the occasion of the holiday, the ministry arranged gatherings with people suffering from the pains of separation from their families due to the divided Korea and inhumanity of North Korea.

The ministry said officials held meetings with seven such families across the nation starting last Friday, listening to their pleas and requests and offering words of consolation. 

In October last year, Unification Minister Kwon Young-se met with families of abductees in North Korea and vowed to exert his best effort to secure their release. 

Vice unification minister Kim Ki-woong plans to join separated families for their joint memorial service for ancestors on the day of the Lunar New Year on Sunday, at Imjingak in Paju, just south of the demilitarized zone.