For the first time in over three years, the two Koreas are holding long-awaited reunions for families separated by the Korean War.(Tens of millions of people were displaced by the sweep of the 1950-53 Korean War)
The 6-day event which has kicked off in North Korea is being seen as a clear sign that Seoul and Pyongyang are making real progress in easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
Around 80 elderly South Koreans met privately Friday with North Korean relatives they haven’t seen for 60 years, on the second day of a highly-charged reunion for families divided by the Korean War.
In contrast to the previous day when their tearful and, in some cases, clearly traumatic meetings were played out in front of TV cameras, they were allowed three hours in their own rooms to try and bridge the decades of separation.
The event, held at the North Korean resort area of Mount Kumgang was only secured after intense North-South negotiations, and has been seen by many as a possible first step towards improved inter-Korean cooperation.
The 82 South Korean participants, with an average age of 84 and some so frail they had to be moved by ambulance, arrived at the resort midday Thursday after crossing the heavily-militarised border in a convoy of 10 buses
After a brief lunch, they were led into a banqueting hall where they first came face-to-face with the 180 North Korean relatives they had applied to see.
Some simply embraced and sobbed, while others stared and stroked each other’s faces, seemingly unable to believe that they were in the same room.
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