Separated South and North Koreans in teary reunions

MOUNT KUMGANG, North Korea, Oct. 20 (Yonhap) -- Korean families split by the heavily-armed border began to reunite here Tuesday in a major inter-Korean humanitarian program. "Father, I am your son," the 65-year-old Chae Hee-yang from the South said, hugging Chae Hoon-sik, 88. Their eyes were full of tears, soaking handkerchiefs in hand. It took 65 years for the father and the son to see each other again. There were no phone calls, let alone emails, living on the other side of the Demilitarized Zone. They were torn apart by the 1950-53 Korean War. The two were among hundreds of Koreans given rare chances to meet with their long-lost beloved ones in a family reunion event under way at a South Korean-developed resort in Mount Kumgang along the North's east coast. It is the first of its kind in one year and eight months, a fruit of the Aug. 25 deal between the two Koreas on ending a military standoff. Earlier in the day, 389 South Koreans of 96 families crossed the eastern part of the border by 16 buses to meet 141 North Koreans. The South Koreans, mostly elderly, plan to stay here through Thursday for a series of six brief reunions that will last just a total of 12 hours. North Korean border guards closely checked the belongings of South Korean visitors, including the laptops of South Korean reporters, during the customs and quarantine procedures that took about one hour. Another round of reunions involving 250 other South Koreans of 90 families will be held from Saturday to next Monday at the resort developed by the South's Hyundai Group. Nearly 130,000 South Koreans are registered in the government's data system as having families in the North. Half of them have already died, with around 66,000 separated family members on the waiting list. Since the first inter-Korean summit in 2000, the two Koreas have held 20 rounds of face-to-face family reunion events. There were seven rounds of video-based reunions. Meanwhile, the North reported on the reunion event. Pyongyang's official media outlet, the (North) Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), said separated families and relatives from the North attended the group reunions with those from the South, adding "they and their families are enjoying a happy and worthwhile life in the Korean-style socialist system centered on the popular masses." (END)