The government plans to create a new bureau at the Unification Ministry for issues related to inter-Korean separated families, South Korean prisoners of war, and abductees in the North.

Currently, those issues are handled by the ministry’s social and cultural exchanges headquarters.

A ministry official said Friday the proposed humanitarian aid bureau could create a task force to address issues related to South Korean POWs and the abductees.

The official said the ministry is also considering combining its information and analysis unit and its public relations unit under its unification policy headquarters. In addition, it may merge its office for inter-Korean economic cooperation with the social and cultural exchanges headquarters.