South Korea, DPRK agree to hold family reunion in Mt Kumgang

South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Friday agreed to hold reunion of families separated by the Korean War (1950-53) for six days from Sept. 25 in Mount Kumgang. "The face-to-face reunion of separated families will be held from Sept. 25 to 30 in Mount Kumgang. One hundred people from the South and the North each will participate (in the reunion event)," Kim Hyung-seok, spokesman of Seoul's Unification Ministry, told a press briefing. The final list of people who will take part in the reunion event will be exchanged on Sept. 16 after verifying whether those subject to the event remain alive, Kim said. South Korea originally hoped the reunion would be held in Seoul or Pyongyang, but it eventually agreed that the event would be held in Mount Kumgang, which the DPRK insisted as the venue, after a marathon dialogue. The agreement was reached at the Red Cross working-level talks between both sides at the Peace House on the South Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjom, the first such contact in around three years. Three-member delegations started the talks at 10 a.m. with a plenary session, followed by another four rounds of top delegate meetings. The talks ended at around 9 p.m. South Korean President Park Geun-hye last week hoped that the reunion would be held around the Chuseok, one of the most important traditional holidays that fall on Sept. 19 this year. Pyongyang's intent to link the family reunion to the issue of restarting tour to Mount Kumgang by holding the Red Cross talks in the scenic mountain resort was rejected by Seoul which has adhered to its stance that the two issues should be addressed separately. South Korea was considering the DPRK's proposal for talks on resuming the Mount Kumgang tour to be held in late August or early September. Seoul initially said the talks should be held in late September after wrapping up the family reunion. Meanwhile, the two Koreas agreed that video reunion of separated families would be held for two days from Oct. 22, with 40 families from both sides set to join the event, the spokesman said. Seoul and Pyongyang also shared views of holding another family reunion event in November. They agreed another Red Cross working- level contacts would be made right after the face-to-face reunion in late September. The two sides agreed to make incessant efforts to hold family reunion regularly, exchange letters and confirm life and death of separated relatives that would help solve the separated family issue fundamentally, the ministry said in a statement. The agreement would provide opportunity for regularizing family reunion, the ministry said, adding it will be the starting point of the process.