SKorean RCS approves DPRK proposal on meetings of separated families.

12/9 Tass 39

SEOUL, September 12 (Itar-Tass) - The South Korea Red Cross Society
positively regards North Korea's proposal on resuming meetings of
families, separated by the 1950-1953 Korea War, the South Korean mass
media reported on Sunday, referring to a representative of the South
Korean Ministry of Unification.
He confirmed the reception of a message on behalf of the North Korean
Red Cross Society, containing a proposal to hold another meeting of
separated Korean families before the Chuseok holiday (Harvest Moon
Festival) to be celebrated on September 22 this year. This holiday along
with the Lunar New Year is regarded the most important for Koreans.
A decision on a meeting will be taken after consultations between the
leadership of the South Korean Red Cross Society and the country's
government, the ministry representative added. In the meantime, in the
opinion of local experts, the probability of holding the meeting of
separated families of the South and the North before the Chuseok holiday
is very small, since it takes at least a month to prepare them.
Last time separated families met last September, and that was their
first reunification over nearly two years. Later, Pyongyang could not give
a definite reply on holding new meetings, which became one of the most
important results of the first inter-Korean summit, held in summer 2000.
All in all, over 127,000 people registered in the South over these years
to participate in an event, permitting to see their kith and kin.
Incidentally, nearly a third of them passed away since then due to
their old age. Only one in 800 claimants was lucky enough to participate
due to stringent restrictions to the selection of candidates, put forth by
Pyongyang. All in all, 16,000 people could meet their relatives, while
nearly 600,000 people in South Korea have their relatives in North Korea,
the Yonhap news agency reports.
-0-bur/kud