North Korea Accepts the South's Offer to Hold Talks about Family Reunions
Following the joint agreement to defuse tension between the two Koreas, North Korea has accepted South Korean Red Cross's proposal to hold talks regarding reuniting families separated during the Korean War in 1950-53. The nation has held the first reunions on August 2000, while the latest has been on February 2014.
According to an article by Korea Joongang Daily on Monday, the offer was made on Friday and Pyongyang sent a letter the following day, stating the North's acceptance. An official from the South Korean Ministry of Unification has confirmed this on Saturday.
The working-level discussions will be held at the House of Peace at Panmunjom on September 7. Its agenda will involve the regularization of family reunions, the venue, size and capacity. Another important matter will be the upcoming celebration of the North Korean Workers' Party on October 10.
"Any problems regarding the Red Cross working-level talks will be discussed through the Panmunjom contact channel," an official from the Unification Ministry said. "If this family reunion happens, this would be the second family reunion since the Park Geun Hye government came into office and the 20th in total."
"That kind of response by the North Korea shows Kim Jong Un's intentions through controlling the current situation," Dongguk University Professor Kim Yong Hyun, who specializes in North Korea studies, comments on the quick response of Pyongyang in Seoul's proposal.
"If there are no [additional] provocations from Pyongyang, there is a high likelihood that the family reunions will proceed smoothly and as planned."
Reuters reported on Saturday that almost 130,000 South Koreans are seeking family members in the neighboring country, according to the data gathered by the Unification Ministry. They have signed up with the government to be able to join the planned reunions. An estimated 66,000 of the loved ones lost are alive at ages 70 and above.
The agreement to hold talks on reuniting is part of the six-point deal established during the marathon talks between the two Koreas, which have ended last Tuesday.