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By Yi Whan-woo
A group of 89 elderly South Koreans gathered in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, Sunday, before crossing the Demilitarized Zone to reunite with their loved ones in the North, Monday.
They attended a meeting at Hanwha Resort, where the Ministry of Unification officials briefed them about the schedule, procedure, protocol and other details concerning the reunion.
They will travel by a bus and depart Sokcho around 8:30 a.m., Monday, and pass through the border immigration office before arriving at North Korea's coastal resort on Mount Geumgang at 12:30 p.m.
Past participants of the reunion were required to step out of the bus for immigration procedures. But this time, those that have difficulty in moving around can remain inside the bus, the ministry said.
At 3 p.m., they are expected to meet family members they were separated from during the 1950-53 Korean War for the first time.
The family members from the South will be accompanied by government officials, medical staff and journalists, with the total number of South Koreans entering the North estimated to be about 560.
They are the first group of South Korean and North Koreans, mostly in their 80s, who were selected in a draw to join the two-part six-day reunion.
The 89 South Koreans will spend time with their relatives in the North for three days, before bidding an indefinite farewell.
The second group from the North will have respective reunion from Aug. 24 to 26, following an interim break, Aug. 23.
Each reunion will be comprised of six sessions, including a welcome dinner, reunions in open and private spaces and a farewell luncheon.
The unification ministry said the two Koreas newly added a closed-door lunch for each family as part of efforts to host the reunion in a more welcoming environment.
A total of 93 South Koreans were initially scheduled to join the Aug. 20 to 23 reunion, but four of them dropped out due to deteriorating health.
The eldest on the South Korean side will be a 101-year-old man, who planned to meet his daughter-in-law and granddaughter.
The two Koreas have held 20 family reunions since 2000. The last was in October 2015.
The August reunion will take place in line with an agreement reached between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during their first summit, April 27.
