Family reunions set for later this month
- 11 years ago
Officials from North and South Korea agreed Wednesday to allow family members separated by the Korean war to hold brief reunions.
Delegation members from both countries met on the North Korean side of the demilitarized zone - a heavily guarded area along the border of the two countries.
The decision comes as the U.S. and the South plan to hold joint military drills - which have in the past prompted the North to cancel the reunions as they did in September of last year.
Officials from the South Korean unification ministry said the cancelation was discussed at Wednesday's meeting.
(SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN HEAD DELEGATE, LEE DUK-HAENG, COMMITTEE MEMBER OF THE SOUTH KOREAN RED CROSS, SAYING:
"Regarding the case that the agreement in last year had not been fulfilled, we have delivered a message of our stance that it should not be happened again. And the North side has agreed on this."
The last family reunions were held in 2010 when a few hundred
Delegation members from both countries met on the North Korean side of the demilitarized zone - a heavily guarded area along the border of the two countries.
The decision comes as the U.S. and the South plan to hold joint military drills - which have in the past prompted the North to cancel the reunions as they did in September of last year.
Officials from the South Korean unification ministry said the cancelation was discussed at Wednesday's meeting.
(SOUNDBITE) (Korean) SOUTH KOREAN HEAD DELEGATE, LEE DUK-HAENG, COMMITTEE MEMBER OF THE SOUTH KOREAN RED CROSS, SAYING:
"Regarding the case that the agreement in last year had not been fulfilled, we have delivered a message of our stance that it should not be happened again. And the North side has agreed on this."
The last family reunions were held in 2010 when a few hundred