North and South Korea agree to discuss family reunions
August 25th, 2009 - 1:57 pm ICT by IANSSeoul, Aug 25 (DPA) North and South Korea have agreed to discuss family reunions in the latest example of a cautious improvement in relations between the two countries.
North Korea accepted a proposal for talks between representatives of each country’s Red Cross from Wednesday to Friday at Kumgang mountain on North Korea’s east coast, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification said Tuesday.
The programme of short family reunions was discontinued due to rising tensions between the governments in Seoul and Pyongyang.
Signs that the North was ready to patch up relations with South Korea have increased recently. Pyongyang announced last week that it wanted to make it easier for tourists from the South to cross the border and for family reunions to take place.
North Korea proposed new family reunions for early October within the framework of an agreement with the South Korean company Hyundai concerning the resumption of cooperation projects.
The Korean War of 1950-53 and the division of the peninsula split tens of thousands of Korean families. A historic summit between the two countries in June 2000 made the first family reunions possible.
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Tags: cooperation projects, dpa, east coast, family reunions, governments, hyundai, korean families, korean war, north korea, peninsula, pyongyang, red cross, resumption, seoul, south korea, south korean company, tens of thousands, tensions, tourists, unification
