Eight out of ten Koreans residing in North America whose family was separated during the Korean War have yet to verify the survival of their loved ones in North Korea, of which 90 percent have expressed a wish to do so.

Announcing the outcome of its first-ever survey of separated family members overseas on Wednesday, South Korea's unification ministry stated only 19-point-three percent of respondents in North America said they had confirmed the status of their loved ones in the North.

Out of 96 people who have yet to verify the survival of their family members, 87, or 90-point-six percent, said they wished to do so.

Asked about their wish to be reunited with their family members in the North, 84 percent said "yes," 28-point-two percent of whom cited the truce village of Panmunjom as the preferred location, while two groups of 17-point-three percent each mentioned Seoul and the North's Mount Geumgang, respectively.

The survey of 119 family members in the U.S. and Canada was conducted via phone, online or face-to-face inquiry by Gallup Korea between July and December last year.