POWs, abductees, defectors, separated families legacy of Korean War

Prisoners of war held for decades after the fighting stopped. Civilian abductees. Defectors. Separated families.

- ASSOCIATED PRESS

They are Koreans who symbolise the decades of division and bitter animosities between North and South Korea, which have been split by a heavily fortified border since the 1950-53 Korean War.

North and South Koreans aren't allowed to exchange visits, phone calls or letters with their loved ones on the other side.

Wednesday is the 75th anniversary of the war's beginning. The Associated Press spoke with Koreans whose pain and sorrow likely won't be healed anytime soon as diplomacy between the Koreas remains dormant.

South Korean prisoner of war isolated after his return home

Lee Seon-wu, who was a South Korean soldier, lost three fingers and was captured by Chinese troops during a fierce battle in the eastern Gangwon province in the final days of the war.

Like tens of thousands of other South Korean prisoners, Lee was held by North Korea even after an armistice ended the fighting. He was forced to resettle as a miner in the country's remote northeast.

In North Korea, Lee said he belonged to the lowest social class and married a poor woman. He also lived under constant state surveillance.