Koreas agree on first reunions in two yrs in sign of thawing ties

(ATTN: CHANGES headline; lead UPDATES with details)
By Kim Hyun
MOUNT KUMGANG, North Korea, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- South and North Korea agreed on
Friday to hold reunions for families separated by war half a century ago, the
first such agreement in nearly two years, in a sign of improving cross-border
relations.
In their third and final day of talks at this North Korean mountain resort, the
two sides released a joint statement setting a new round of family reunions for
Sept. 26 to Oct. 1, shortly before the traditional Korean holiday of Chuseok. The
venue will be this scenic mountain on the east coast.
"The South and the North will continue to cooperate on the issue of separated
families and other humanitarian issues involving the Red Cross," the statement
said. The family reunions are arranged by the Red Cross offices of the two
Koreas.
Both sides made concessions to reach the accord. Seoul withdrew its demand that
South Korean prisoners from the 1950-53 Korean War be located and included in the
reunions along with civilians who were allegedly detained by the North during the
Cold War era -- mostly fishermen whose boats had strayed into North Korean
waters. Seoul estimates about 1,000 of them are still in detention, but Pyongyang
insists it is not holding anyone against their will.
North Korea accepted South Korea's proposal on the venue: a hotel designed for
the express purpose of holding the reunions, which South Korea spent tens of
millions of dollars to build and completed last year. It has never been used, as
the last reunions were held in late 2007.
"These were the first Red Cross talks under this administration. It's been so
long, and we tried hard to produce good results, but not everything came out the
way we'd intended," Kim Young-chel, South Korea's chief delegate to the talks and
secretary general of the Red Cross Society in Seoul, told pool reporters.
The agreement was the latest sign that North Korea is shifting towards
reconciliation with the South.
Cross-border relations have disintegrated since the inauguration last year of
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who pledged to get tough on North Korea's
nuclear program and halted aid to the impoverished state. In retaliation,
Pyongyang cut off dialogue, suspended family reunions and threatened border
clashes.
The Choson Sinbo, a newspaper in Japan that reflects North Korea's official
position, ran a report Thursday saying North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has
decided to break the impasse in inter-Korean relations.
The upcoming family reunions "will be a new watershed in improving inter-Korean
relations," the report said. "With the (North Korean) supreme leader's resolution
in August this year, a breakthrough has been made in the inter-Korean stalemate."

In a verbal message to Lee last week, Kim Jong-il wished for "progress in
inter-Korean cooperation," according to the South's presidential office. The
message was delivered via a North Korean envoy visiting Seoul to pay respects to
late former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung, Kim Jong-il's counterpart in the
first summit.
In other conciliatory gestures, North Korea released a detained worker, lifted
cross-border traffic restrictions and restored a cross-border hotline.
Toward the United States, North Korea has sought bilateral dialogue to improve
relations. It has reportedly invited Stephen Bosworth, the special U.S.
representative on North Korea policy. A group of Pyongyang officials visited Los
Angeles last week to meet with U.S. relief organizations and seek the resumption
of food aid.
The face-to-face reunion will allow 100 people on each side to temporarily
reunite with relatives across the border. Initially, 200 people will be selected
as candidates, and the list will be narrowed down to half among those whose
relatives are still alive and can be located.
About 600,000 South Koreans are believed to have relatives in the North. Ordinary
citizens are not allowed to make phone calls, send letters or exchange emails
across the border.
Kim Yong-hyun, a North Korea studies professor at Dongguk University, said the
family reunion accord is the first success of the Lee administration in
inter-Korean relations and a sign of better ties.
"By setting up the reunion dates, the South and the North virtually reopened
their dialogue channel," Kim said. "It's a humanitarian project that both Koreas
cannot neglect. After this good start, inter-Korean relations will certainly turn
positive."
hkim@yna.co.kr
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