Separated Family Members on Korean Peninsula ReuniteA group of elderly South Koreans reunited with their relatives in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Monday after having been separated for half a century.The group reunions that started Monday afternoon at Pyongyang's Koryo hotel are the third between separated family members from the North and South since the landmark summit between South Korean Kim Dae-jung and DPRK leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang last June. A DPRK's Koryo plane returned here Monday with a 151-member delegation from South Korea, including 100 separated family members, after carrying 100 Northern separated family members to Seoul. The groups are expected to hold their first private family meetings in hotel rooms on Tuesday. During their two-day stay in Pyongyang, the separated families are expected to hold more than eight hours of reunions on five occasions in Pyongyang. The DPRK and South Korea had arranged two reunions for a total of 400 separated families in June and December last year. There are more than 10 million separated family members on the peninsula due to the 1950-1953 Korean War. In addition to the reunions, Seoul and Pyongyang are discussing further measures to resolve the separated family issue, including the establishment of a permanent meeting point for separated family members. |
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