Koreans register near South-North border for family reunions

The registration for the 21st Separated Families Reunion between South and North Korea began on Sunday, with 89 participants arriving in Sokcho, South Korea, a coastal city near the border.

Hundreds of Koreans are set to participate in a week of temporary reunions of families that were separated by the Korean War.

Many have had no contact with each other since the war cemented the division of the peninsula into the North and South.

TRT World's Bruce Harrison reports.

Pre-reunion orientation

Family members met with volunteers from South Korean Red Cross to check in at a hotel for their pre-reunion orientation, in which they will be told what to expect during the 3-day reunion.

93-year old Lee Kwan-joo said that he cannot say anything other than he is happy when asked about meeting his brother's children in North Korea.

Kwon Seok, 94-year old, who is meeting her granddaughter also shared her excitement by saying she is happy to see her granddaughter even though she will not be able to see her son.

Families will be staying the night Sokcho before beginning their trip to Diamond Mountain located in North Korea on Monday morning.

They will be having six face-to-face meetings with their North Korean families, which will be combined face time of 11 hours during their 3-day long reunion.

Since the end of the war, both Koreas have banned ordinary citizens from visiting relatives on the other side of the border or contacting them without permission.

Nearly 20,000 people have participated in 20 rounds of face-to-face reunions since 2000.
No one has had a second chance to see their relatives.

This week's reunions come after a three-year hiatus during which North Korea tested three nuclear weapons and multiple missiles that demonstrated the potential of striking the continental United States.