|
|
|
|
The RoK’s separated families gathered on August 19 at the
northeast coastal city of Sokcho to register for reunions, get their health
checked among other preparations.
The first session of reunions, scheduled to last from August
20-22, would be attended by 89 RoK people who have never seen their DPRK
relatives since the Korean War ended with armistice, and 108 other
accompanying family members.
The second session of three-day reunions, involving 83 DPRK
family members who applied for gatherings with RoK’s relatives, will begin
later this week at the same venue. The two Koreas agreed in June to hold the
reunions as part of efforts to implement the Panmunjom Declaration.
The declaration was signed by RoK’s President Moon Jae-in and
top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un after their first summit on April 27 at the
border village of Panmunjom to defuse military tensions and increase
exchanges of the two sides.
It will be the first reunion of the war-separated families in
nearly three years. The latest was held in October 2015.
A combined 20 rounds of face-to-face reunions have been arranged
since the first-ever inter-Korean summit was held in 2000, but the reunions
have been limited to about 200 separated families from each side.
Over half of RoK participants on the waiting list for reunions
are in their 80s or older.
Their meeting, arranged after decades of separation, will be
painfully short. They will be granted permission to meet for only 11 hours in
group and private gatherings during the three-day reunions.
It could be the only chance for the separated families to meet
face-to-face. The eldest RoK’s participant for the first session of reunions
is a 101-year-old Baek Sung-gyu who will meet his daughter-in-law and
granddaughter from the DPRK.
|
Source: NDO
Powered by ICT GROUP.
