North and South Korea settle with October family reunions
South Korea's Unification Ministry said in a statement that North and South Korea have agreed to allow families divided by war and division between the two sides to reunite in a series of meetings in the coming month.
According to CNN, the meeting that will allow for the reunion of 100 people from each country is the first of the meetings between divided families since 2014. The first meeting will run from Oct. 20 to Oct. 26.
Last month, the Koreans engaged in a heavy fire fight across the border. The two sides then started to discuss about the exchange, which resulted to the agreement of reuniting families next month. The meetings are only part of a deal that the two countries settled with after both parties decided to end last month's military bout.
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In last year's meetings that allowed 200 Koreans to meet for over six days, the families' freedom to enjoy each other's company was limited with the presence of North Korean forces who stood at tables, listening to whatever the families discussed.
Although North Korea has been known to cancel the event, and breaking the hearts of the families looking forward to the meetings, the most recent deal states that on Sept. 15, each side will exchange the names of families who are hoping to meet. The South will hand over a list of 250, while the North will offer a list with 200 names.
Come Oct. 5, the two sides will once again discuss, to come up with a final list of just 100 people from each side by Oct. 8.
Statistics reveal that almost 130,000 from the South have registered to meet their estranged families since 1988, but only about 66,000 of them are believed to be alive now. Plus, out of the 66,000, more than half are in their 80s and 90s, thus adding to the urgency of reuniting with their relatives.
While the chances of being chosen for the exchange deal are slim, the families who registered to be part of the meetings are getting high hopes as all participants know that it could be the last time they'll meet with their long-lost relatives.
