North-South Red Cross Hold TalksRed Cross officials from North Korea and South Korea met on a scenic mountain in the North to discuss reuniting families separated by the Korean War a half-century ago.Delegates from both sides began trying to discuss the procedures for talks on separated families, according to South Korean pool reports filed from Kumgangsan, a sightseeing attraction on the North's east coast. A six-member delegation from the South Korean Red Cross arrived there earlier Tuesday with six South Korean pool reporters. The four-day Red Cross session stems from a deal struck at a historic summit two weeks ago. The two Koreas agreed at the summit to allow an unspecified number of separated family members to visit their hometowns for temporary reunions in mid-August. After the summit, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung said about 100 separated family members from each side will be allowed to cross the border in August. In the first reunion in 1985, 50 separated family members from each Korea were allowed to cross the border. Efforts to arrange further family reunions failed because of political and military tensions. |
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