S.Korea, DPRK Reach Agreement on Construction of Reunion Center

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, January 22, 2003

S.Korea, DPRK Reach Agreement on Construction of Reunion Center

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South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed Wednesday to start work of construction of a family reunion center in April and hold another round of family reunions in late February.

According to South Korean national news agency Yonhap News, in the third round Red Cross societies meeting held at Mount Geumgangin the DPRK from Jan. 20 to Jan. 22, the two sides finally narrowed their difference and clinched such an agreement.

The agreement stipulates that the two sides will start buildinga permanent reunion center in April which can accommodate 1,000 people under joint design of the two sides.

South Korea will provide all the equipment and materials for the construction, while the DPRK is to offer land and labors.

A task force which takes charge of the construction will be formed by ten people respectively from each side. The task force will hold its first meeting on Feb. 10 to address relevant issues of the construction, the agreement said.

In last October also in a working-level meeting held at Mount Geumgang, the two sides chose a village named Chopo of Onjongri atthe foot of Mount Geumgang as the site to build the reunion center.But their difference over the area of the center snagged them to reach agreement in last December's talks.

On the family reunions, the two delegations decided to hold thesixth round of separated family reunions on Feb. 20-25 at the DPRKscenic mountain Geumgang.

Seoul and Pyongyang have previously arranged five rounds of separated family reunions, which were made possible through the historic 2000 inter-Korean summit between South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Il.

Moreover, the discussion of the South Koreans missing in the Korean War (1950-1953) who were believed to live in the DPRK and increase of letter communication of the separated families will bemade possible after the two countries start the building of the permanent center.

At last, the forth working-level meeting of the two Red Cross societies is scheduled to be held in late April.

The South Korean delegation led by Lee Byung-woong will return Seoul later Wednesday from the DPRK.

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