The two Koreas fracture families

South Korea has recently offered to hold talks with North Korea on resuming reunions for families separated during the Korean War.

North Korea has yet to respond to the offer, but for many of those waiting to reunite with their loved ones, time is running out.

The war ended in 1953 with an armistice that divided the peninsula and froze relations.

Kim Gu-hyeon, 90, spends his days drawing a map of his hometown.

The mountains, rivers, and trees of Kusong remind him of his parents and seven siblings he left behind seven decades ago in the North.

"What I want to say them, even if we haven't met, I, your brother, have lived with the family in my thoughts. I hope they know that," he said.

Some 60,000 elderly South Koreans are registered with the Red Cross for a chance to be reunited with their families.

Since 2000, the two Koreas have held over a dozen rounds of reunions but the event has been put on hold due to political tensions.

Last month, the South Korean Red Cross proposed new talks to discuss reunions and hopes they can begin again during the Chuseok holiday, which falls in October this year.

TRT World's Joseph Kim has more.