2 Koreas agree on reunions of separated families

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(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-08-28 15:16

SEOUL: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK) agreed Friday to hold a new round of reunions next month for families long separated by the Korean War in the latest sign of easing tensions on the divided peninsula. The planned meetings will be the first in nearly two years.

2 Koreas agree on reunions of separated families

The DPRK chief delegate of Red Cross, Choe Song-ik (L) and his ROK counterpart Kim Young-chel walk to a conference hall at Mount Kumgang hotel in the DPRK August 28, 2009. The two Koreas were expected to finish talks on Friday about resuming reunions of families torn apart by the Korean War. [Agencies]

Red Cross officials from the two sides wrapped up three days of talks at the DPRK's Diamond Mountain resort with an accord to hold six days of temporary reunions involving a total of 200 families from Sept. 26 at the scenic resort, according to a joint statement.

Millions of families were separated by the Korean War, which ended in 1953 with a cease-fire, not a peace treaty. No mail, telephone or e-mail exchanges exist between ordinary citizens across the Korean border.

This week's rare talks and the resulting agreement are the latest signs of improving relations between the two rival nations. The agreement said the two sides will continue to discuss the separated families and other humanitarian issues.

Pyongyang has been pushing in recent weeks to reach out to Seoul and Washington following a series of provocations, including nuclear and missile tests, and international sanctions for the defiant moves banned under UN resolutions.

Earlier this month, the DPRK freed two American journalists and a ROK worker after more than four months of detention and pledged to restart some joint projects, including the meetings of separated families that have been stalled since the inauguration of a conservative government in Seoul about 18 months ago.

Pyongyang also sent a delegation to Seoul to mourn the death of former ROK President Kim Dae-jung.

The ROK media reported earlier this week that Pyongyang invited Washington's two top envoys on the Korean peninsula to visit in what would be their first nuclear talks since President Barack Obama took office.

State Department spokesman Philip Crowley told reporters Thursday that the US has not received a formal invitation from Pyongyang. He also said special envoy Stephen Bosworth plans to travel to Asia soon, but won't go to the DPRK.

The ROK's Yonhap news agency reported Friday that four DPRK officials visited the US last week to meet with American relief organizations and discuss the resumption of food aid to the impoverished nation. But their trip did not include meetings with US government officials, Yonhap said, citing unidentified sources in Washington.

Following their first-ever summit in 2000, the two Koreas had regularly held family reunions until late 2007. Then, their ties frayed badly after ROK's conservative President Lee Myung-bak took office last year with hard-line policies such as linking aid to Pyongyang's disarmament.

That angered the DPRK, prompting it to suspend reconciliation talks and major joint projects.

More than 16,000 Koreans have been united in temporary face-to-face reunions so far, while some 3,740 others saw their long-lost relatives in video reunions.