Reunion ceremonies for families from North and South Korea
(NECN/YTN) – Hundreds of Koreans met their relatives for the first time in more than half a century on Saturday, amid signs of renewed reconciliation in the divided peninsula. Roh Song-ho, 48, reunited with his elder South Korean sister, Sun-ho, whom he hadn’t seen since being abducted by the North at sea decades ago. The two hugged each and then stared at each other’s face as the sister cried . No foreign media were invited to cover the reunions in the Diamond Mountain resort on North Korea’s east coast. Roh Song-ho was abducted by North Korea along with other fishermen in waters off the west coast 22 years ago. He married in North Korea, and brought his North Korean wife and daughter to the reunions. Roh Sun-ho is among more than 120 South Koreans, most in their 70s or older, who traveled by bus to the scenic resort earlier in the day for the three-day reunions. Millions of families remain separated following the Korean peninsula’s division in 1945 and the ensuing Korean War that ended in an armistice in 1953, not a peace treaty. There are no mail, telephone or e-mail exchanges between ordinary citizens from the two Koreas, nor can they travel to the other side of the peninsula without government approval. Family reunions began in 2000 following a landmark inter-Korean summit, but North Korea cut off most such programs after South Korea’s conservative President Lee Myung-bak took office last year with a get-tough policy of holding North Korea accountable to its nuclear disarmament pledges. The reunions were last held in October 2007. North Korea agreed last month to resume the reunions as part of moves to reach out to South Korea and the United States after months of tension over its nuclear and missile programs. So far, more than 16,200 Koreans have held temporary face-to-face reunions with relatives since they began. Some 3,740 others have seen relatives in video reunions. The reunions last through Monday, which will be followed by the second phase of reunions that will end on Oct. 1. It remains unclear when they may be held again.
