Nearly 400 South Koreans crossed the heavily armed border into North Korea on Tuesday (October 20) to be reunited with family members separated for more than six decades since the 1950-53 Korean War, in an outpouring of emotions and tears.
The two Koreas, which are divided and remain in a technical state of war, agreed to hold the family reunions for the first time since February last year after negotiating the end of a standoff at the military border in August.
Participants, some as old as 88, were reunited at the resort of Mount Kumgang just north of the militarised border with children and spouses from whom they had been separated when the peninsula was divided at the end of the war.
“I was so nervous waiting for my number to get picked. When my number was finally called out, I was so overwhelmed. Seeing you was my parents’ wish and mine. Now there’s really not much more I could ask for,” 85-year-old North Korean Do Heung Gyu told his nephew who lives in South Korea.
Families separated since the war have no means of communication and often do not know if relatives on the other side are surviving.
In the first round of reunions starting Tuesday, 96 North Koreans and their families met about 390 people travelling from the South. The second round will start on Saturday (October 24) and reunite about 190 North Koreans with 90 South Koreans and their families.
The South Koreans, mostly elderly and some in wheelchairs, had gathered on Monday (October 19) in the east coast city of Sokcho near the border for medical check-ups and a briefing on appropriate conduct while in the North.
On Tuesday morning they boarded buses to cross the border.
The reunions are watched by officials and media and include only two hours of private time before they end on Thursday (October 22).
South Korean participants are advised to steer clear of a long list of topics, such as the North’s political leadership or living standards, to the frustration of some of the visitors.
A guidebook suggests advance preparation of notes for subjects to be discussed with North Korean kin, such as the dates of parental deaths, as time is limited and the emotions can be overwhelming.
