North and South Korea have agreed to hold temporary reunions of families divided by the 1950-53 Korean War in August as they boost reconciliation efforts amid a diplomatic push to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis.
Seoul’s Unification Ministry said Friday the reunions will take place at North Korea’s Diamond Mountain resort from Aug. 20 to 26. It said the countries will each send 100 participants to the reunions. People with mobility problems will be allowed to bring a relative to help them.
The Korean leaders in their first meeting agreed to hold the family reunions around Aug. 15, an anniversary celebrated in both countries marking the Korean Peninsula’s independence from Japanese colonial rule at the end of World War II in 1945. Friday’s talks are expected to set up the exact date and location for the reunions and determine the number of people participating from both countries.
“If we sternly separate ourselves from the unfortunate past and acquire a strong mindset for the new times, humanitarian cooperation between the North and South will flourish,” North Korea delegate Pak Yong Il said at the start of the meeting at North Korea’s Diamond Mountain resort. Park Kyung-seo, South Korea’s Red Cross chief, expressed hope for productive talks that could “resolve the grief of our nation.” Read more
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