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North and South Korea's 89 families torn apart by the 1950-53 Korean War were temporarily reunited in the North on Monday (August 20) after the two Koreas renewed exchanges this year following a standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programmes.
The reunions, the first in three years, took place in the North's tourist resort on Mount Kumgang, as agreed by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in during their first summit in April.
The separated families are victims of a decades-long standoff between the neighbors, which has escalated over the past several years as Pyongyang rapidly advanced its nuclear weapons and missile programmes.
Around 132,600 individuals are listed as separated families as of end-July. Of the 57,000 survivors, 41.2 percent are in their 80s and 21.4 percent are in their 90s, according to government data. (Reuters)
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| Lee Keun-sum, left, 92, from South Korea, hugs her son Ri Sang-chul, 71, from the North, at Mount Kumgang, a scenic resort on the North's east coast. They split in 1951, when the son was only four, at the height of Korean War. Eighty-nine South Koreans, mostly in their 70s and older, met about 180 long-separated relatives in the reunion, which will continue through Wednesday. / Korea Pool |
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| Cho Hye-do, center, 86, from South Korea, hugs her elder sister Cho Soon-do, right, 89, from the North, at Mount Kumgang, a scenic resort on the North's east coast. Eighty-nine South Koreans, mostly in their 70s and older, met about 180 long-separated relatives in the reunion, which will continue through Wednesday. / Yonhap |
