TEHRAN, June 22 - Delegations from North and South Korea agreed on Friday to arrange the first reunions in three years of some of the families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - The reunions - scheduled for Aug. 20 to Aug. 26 - are an emotive issue, especially for the elderly relatives taking part in tearful meetings after decades of separation - and have taken place from time to time during periods of good ties between the two Koreas.
The Red Cross organizations from the two countries will arrange the reunions which will involve about 200 selected people from the two sides, they said in a joint statement after a meeting of delegations.
The reunions are among steps promised by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in as part of a dramatic improvement in relations between them this year, after fears of war over North Korean nuclear and missile programs last year.
"The whole world is marveling at the amazing developments between the North and South," said Pak Yong Il, the leader of the North Korean delegation at the talks that took place at a hotel in North Korea's tourist destination of Mount Kumgang.
Tensions on the Korean peninsula eased significantly after a summit last week between the North's Kim and President Donald Trump, in which they agreed that they would work toward the denuclearization of the peninsula.
The reunions will be held at Mount Kumgang, the two sides said, with 100 people from each side to be chosen to meet long-lost relatives from the other side.
South Korean officials have often called for the visits to resume as a "humanitarian and human rights issue", especially since many individuals are now in their 80s and 90s.
The first reunions were held in 1985. About 20 have been held since then with the last in 2015.
Source: Reuters
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