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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 21 augusT 2018

Brief Korean reunions bring tears for separated families

By HYUNG-JIN KIM North and South. The Uni-
KIM TONG-HYUNG fication Ministry estimates
Associated Press there are currently about
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) 600,000 to 700,000 South
— The 92-year-old South Koreans with immediate or
Korean woman wept and extended relatives in North
stroked the wrinkled cheeks Korea. More than 75,000
of her 71-year-old North Ko- of the 132,000 South Ko-
rean son on Monday, their reans who have applied
first meeting since they to participate in reunions
were driven apart during have died, according to a
the turmoil of the 1950-53 ministry record. South Ko-
Korean War. rean President Moon Jae-
“How many children do in on Monday reiterated
you have? Do you have that time is running out to
a son?” Lee Keum-seom expand the reunion pro-
asked her son Ri Sang Chol gram, saying it would be a
during their long-awaited “shameful thing” for both
encounter at the North’s Koreas to see many elderly
Diamond Mountain resort. people dying without even
The emotional reunion finding out whether their
came after dozens of South Korean Cho Hye-do, 86, meets her North Korean sister Cho Sun Do, 89 during the Separated loved ones are still alive.
elderly South Koreans Family Reunion Meeting at Diamond Mountain resort in North Korea, Monday, Aug. 20, 2018. Moon attended a 2004 re-
crossed the heavily fortified Associated Press union to meet his aunt. “As
border into North Korea Most have had no word on South Korean woman, was since 2000. Another 3,700 a separated family mem-
to meet temporarily with whether their relatives are at a loss for words after she exchanged video messag- ber, I deeply share their
their relatives. The week- still alive because they are reunited with her two North es with their North Korean sorrow and pitifulness,” he
long event, the first of its not allowed to visit each Korean daughters, both in relatives. None have had said during a meeting with
kind in nearly three years, other across the border their early 70s. Not knowing a second chance to see or his aides. North Korea is re-
was arranged as the rival or even exchange letters, their separation would be talk with their relatives. luctant to accept calls for
Koreas boost reconciliation phone calls or email. permanent, she left them During the three years since more reunions. Analysts say
efforts amid a diplomatic About 90 elderly South Ko- behind in the North during the reunions were last held, it sees the reunions as an
push to resolve a standoff reans, accompanied by the war while fleeing south North Korea tested three important bargaining chip
over North Korea’s nuclear their family members, will with her third and youngest nuclear weapons and and believes more reunions
weapons program. Hug- have three days of meet- daughter. multiple missiles that dem- would give its people a
ging the woman he’d last ings with their North Korean She could only say “Ah” onstrated they potentially better awareness of the
seen when he was 4, Ri relatives before returning and “When I fled ...” before could strike the continental outside world. While South
showed his mother a photo to the South on Wednes- choking up with tears. United States. Korea uses a computerized
of her late husband, who day. A separate round of Kim Sun Ok, an 81-year-old North Korea has shifted lottery to pick participants
had stayed behind in North reunions from Friday to Sun- North Korean woman, said to diplomacy in recent for the reunions, North Ko-
Korea with him after be- day will involve more than she found that she and her months. Leader Kim Jong rea is believed to choose
ing separated from his wife 300 other South Koreans, 88-year-old brother from Un and South Korean Presi- based on loyalty to its au-
while fleeing south. “Moth- according to Seoul’s Unifi- South Korea resembled dent Moon Jae-in, a son of thoritarian leadership.q
er, this is how my father cation Ministry. each other a great deal. North Korean war refugees,
looked,” Ri said. During Monday’s meet- “Brother, it would be really agreed to resume the re-
Before leaving for North Ko- ing, many elderly Koreans good if Korean unification unions during the first of
rea, Lee said she wanted to held each other’s hands comes. Let’s live together their two summits this year
ask her son “how he grew and wiped away tears even at least one minute in April.
up without his mom and with handkerchiefs while after unification before we South Korea sees the sepa-
how his father raised him.” asking how their relatives die,” the woman said tear- rated families as the largest
Most of the participants had lived. They showed fully. humanitarian issue created
in the reunions are in their photos of family members Before this week’s reunions, by the war, which killed
70s or older and are ea- who couldn’t come to their nearly 20,000 people had and injured millions and ce-
ger to see their loved ones meetings. participated in 20 rounds mented the division of the
once more before they die. Han Shin-ja, a 99-year-old of face-to-face reunions Korean Peninsula into the