Seoul Makes List of 200 People for Family ReunionSouth Korea has selected 200 people from the waiting list for the delegation to the Democratic People's Republic Korea (DPRK) for family reunion.The (South) Korean National Red Cross Society Friday said it has selected the 200 from 247 candidates through a computer lottery. Of the original 400 candidates on the waiting list, 153 dropped out in the initial stage because of death or failed to pass medical check-up and withdrew their applications. Among the 200 on the waiting list are 162 in their 70s and 38 under 70. The total breaks down to 147 men and 53 women. The society will send the list to Pyongyang Sunday while notifying individuals of the selection Saturday. Pyongyang is also to provide a waiting list of 200 its people Sunday so that Seoul can locate their families in the South. At the historic Pyongyang summit on June 13-15, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and DPRK leader Kim Jong Il reached an agreement on national unification, including the arrangement of reunion of separated family members on August 15, timed with the 55th anniversary of the liberation of the Korean peninsula from the Japanese colonization. Under an agreement on the reunion of the separated family members, the two sides will hand over a list of 200 people each before the reunions to verify that their family members are still alive after the Korean peninsula was divided for more than five decades. After the verification, 100 of the 200 people from each side will visit Seoul and Pyongyang. |
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