NORTH KOREA-SOUTH KOREA/TALKS DEPARTURES South Korean delegation departs for family reunions meeting

Record ID: 140122

  • Title: NORTH KOREA-SOUTH KOREA/TALKS DEPARTURES South Korean delegation departs for family reunions meeting
  • Date: 7th September 2015
  • Summary: SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (SEPTEMBER 7, 2015) (AGENCY POOL) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** SOUTH KOREAN UNIFICATION MINISTER HONG YONG-PYO BOWING AND WALKING INTO MEETING ROOM HONG AND SOUTH KOREAN DELEGATION SEATED AT MEETING SOUTH KOREAN HEAD DELEGATE AND COMMITTEE MEMBER OF THE SOUTH KOREAN RED CROSS, LEE DUK-HAENG (RIGHT), AND SOUTH KOREAN OFFICIAL LISTENING HONG SPEAKING HONG SPEAKING AND SOUTH KOREAN OFFICIALS LISTENING MEETING IN PROGRESS
  • Embargoed: 22nd September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVADUDS1YW61LX9J48UWKDBF1VAH
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: South Korean officials left Seoul for the truce village Panmunjom at the border on Monday (September 7) to hold talks with North Korean counterparts to discuss the reunions of families separated since the Korean War.
    South Korea's Red Cross on August 28 proposed to hold working-level meeting with the North to set up war-torn family reunions. On August 29, North Korea agreed to Red Cross talks with the South.
    On early Monday morning, South Korean delegation led by Lee Duk-haeng, a committee member of the South Korean Red Cross, held a meeting with South Korean Unification Minister Hong Yong-pyo and departed for the meeting which will be take place at the Peace House of the Panmunjom in South Korean side.
    "I will do my best to live up to everyone's expectations and wishes," the head delegation Lee Duk-haeng said before the departure.
    Nearly 130,000 South Koreans looking for family members in the North have registered with the government in Seoul. About 66,000 are still alive, with most aged 70 or more, according to Unification Ministry data.
    About 18,800 people have been reunited during three-day events before returning, mostly since 2000.
    The two Koreas remain technically at war under a truce that ended their 1950-53 conflict with no regular channel for contacts between their people.
    The last reunions took place in February 2014, just north of the two Koreas' militarised border.
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