North and South Korea hold rare family reunion
- 10 years ago
A group of around 80 elderly South Koreans have crossed the border in the North for the first round of rare family reunions at a resort just inside the North Korean territory.
The 1950-53 Korean War divided the country between a communist north and capitalist south.
Many families became permanently separated, unable to contact each other, even by phone.
The reunions are short: after a few days, the elderly South Koreans said tearful goodbyes.
For many the long-awaited reunions will be the last time they’ll ever see separated loved ones.
The reunions were held after the North set aside a demand for the suspension of joint military drills by the South and the United States, which it had demanded as a pre-condition.
Another round of reunions will run from Sunday (February 23) to Tuesday (February 25).
The 1950-53 Korean War divided the country between a communist north and capitalist south.
Many families became permanently separated, unable to contact each other, even by phone.
The reunions are short: after a few days, the elderly South Koreans said tearful goodbyes.
For many the long-awaited reunions will be the last time they’ll ever see separated loved ones.
The reunions were held after the North set aside a demand for the suspension of joint military drills by the South and the United States, which it had demanded as a pre-condition.
Another round of reunions will run from Sunday (February 23) to Tuesday (February 25).