ROK pushes for video reunion of separated families around Lunar New Year holiday

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea's (ROK's) unification ministry said Monday that it has been pushing to hold the video reunion of Korean families, separated by the 1950-53 Korean War, around the Lunar New Year's traditional holiday early next month.

Baik Tae-hyun, unification ministry spokesman, told a press briefing that there was an agreement reached between the two Koreas about the video reunion and the exchange of video messages among the separated Korean families.

Talks have been underway since last year, between the two Koreas and also the international community about the relevant issues, the spokesman noted.

After their third summit in Pyongyang in September last year, ROK's President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), agreed on cooperation in allowing the divided families of the two Koreas to hold video reunion and exchange video messages.

Since the Korean War ended with armistice in 1953, people of the two Koreas have been banned from contacting and meeting each other.

Following the first-ever inter-Korean summit in 2000, 21 rounds of face-to-face family reunions were held, including the latest in August last year.

The spokesman said the first video reunion of the separated families is being pushed to be held around a traditional holiday, apparently referring to the Lunar New Year's holiday that falls on Feb 5 this year.

The spokesman added that ROK will make efforts to hold the event as early as possible.