North and South Korea to hold family
reunion next month for families separated by
Korean war
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
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North and South Korea agreed Tuesday to hold a reunion for
families separated by the Korean war - the fruit of a deal struck
last month after cross-border tensions came close to boiling over
into outright conflict.
The reunion would be only the second to be held in five years in
North Korea’s Mount Kumgang resort, with 100 participants
from each side.
The two Koreas had committed themselves to organising the
event - from October 20 to the 26th - two weeks ago in an
accord that ended a dangerous military stand-off and pulled both
sides back from the brink of an armed conflict.
The fact that they have followed through by agreeing a date and
venue will be seen as a further positive sign, although the North
has agreed to reunions in the past - only to cancel at the last
minute.
Seoul was understood to have been pushing for an earlier date before North Korea celebrates the 70th anniversary of the
founding of its ruling Worker’s Party on October 10.
Pyongyang is planning a massive military parade and there has
been speculation it might also launch a long-range rocket - a
move that would trigger fresh UN sanctions and threaten the
holding of the reunion.
The final dates were agreed at all-night talks between North and
South Korean Red Cross officials in the border truce village of
Panmunjom.
The chief South Korean delegate, Lee Duk-Haeng, confirmed
that his side had requested a reunion at the “earliest possible
date”, but the North side demurred, citing preparations for the
October 10 celebrations.
Millions of people were separated during the 1950-53 Korean
conflict that sealed the division between the two Koreas.
Most died without having a chance to see or hear from their
families on the other side of the border, across which all civilian
communication is banned.
About 66,000 South Koreans - many of them in their 80s or 90s
- are on the waiting list for an eventual reunion, but only a very
limited number can be chosen each time.
The reunion programme began in earnest after a historic NorthSouth summit in 2000, and was initially an annual event.
But strained cross-border relations have allowed only one
reunion in the past five years.
For those on the waiting list, the reunion selection process is an
emotional roller-coaster - raising hopes of a meeting they have
longed for but which, statistically, they are very unlikely to
experience.
For the last event in February 2014, a computer was used to
randomly select 500 candidates, after taking age and family
background into account.
That number was reduced to 200 after interviews and medical
exams, and the final list of 100 was drawn up after checking if
relatives were still alive on the other side.
And even after all that, the reunion almost never happened, with
11th-hour, high-level negotiations required to prevent the North
cancelling over South Korea’s refusal to postpone annual
military drills.
Shim Goo-Seob, president of an association representing
separated families in South Korea said he was disappointed that
each side had again been limited to just 100 participants.
“It falls far short of our expectations,” Shim told AFP.
“If it carries on like this, what chance do the 60,000 others on
the waiting list have of getting their turn?” he added.
Lee Duk-Haeng said the South planned to hand over the names
of 50 South Koreans believed to have been held as prisoners of
war in the North.
If any are found to be alive, their relatives in the South will be
given a priority slot in Seoul’s final list of 100 participants, he
said.
For the lucky ones who do take part, the reunions are hugely
emotional - almost traumatic - affairs, with many of the elderly
participants breaking down and sobbing as they cling to each
other.
They typically last several days and the joy of the reunion is
tempered by the pain of the inevitable - and this time permanent
- separation at the end.
For Extemporaneous Speakers, complete this page but do not file this page in the box only the article!!!
Instructions: Answer by thinking about ethical, political, and economic impacts.
Questions using Close Reading and Critical
Thinking skills:
1. What is the major issue described in this article? Would
you label it as a humanitarian or political problem, or
both? Explain your perspective.
2. Should South Korea find a way to reunify its people
with North Korea, for the sake of bringing together
separated families? Why or why not?
3. Using context clues, what does the word sanction mean?
If North Korea chooses to launch a long-range rocket
during their military parade, what type of United
Nations sanctions do you think they would receive?
4. The border between North and South Korea is one of
the most volatile, tense, and militarized regions in the
world. What can be done to ease the tension and help
reunite families that have been isolated for 65 years?
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