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Officials from the two Koreas are sitting down as we speak to begin discussing the details
for resuming reunions for families separated since the Korean War.
The reunions, if held, would be the first in more than three years.
For more, we are going to connect to our correspondent Hwang Sung-hee at the Unification Ministry.
So... Sung-hee, a big day ahead... what details do we have right now?
Good morning, Mark. Today's working-level talks were scheduled
to begin at 10 a.m. Korea time, which is about now, so officials from both sides are presumably
exchanging pleasantries before they jump into the details.
Departing for the truce village of Panmunjom this morning, the head of the South Korean
delegation told reporters he would try to bring home good news for the divided families
by reaching a positive agreement today. The two sides may have a long day ahead of
them, as they will be sorting out details, such as the date and the location of the reunion.
While South Korea had earlier proposed holding the event from February 17th to the 22nd at
North Korea's Mt. Kumgang resort, this may not be a viable option anymore as officials
in Seoul say they need at least two weeks to prepare.
Another issue is that North Korea will most likely want to push the date back to sometime
after joint military drills between South Korea and the United States that are scheduled
to begin late this month. Experts say the North could make a counterproposal
on the reunion dates that would have the event taking place after the Key Resolve and Foal
Eagle exercises, which end in April.
It seems to be the way unfortunately, but we've seen North Korea back out of agreements
many times in the past... is there a vibe that Pyongyang might... once again... have
a sudden change of heart... and scrap plans for the reunions?
That's a very difficult question to answer because North Korea is, of course, one of
the most unpredictable regimes in the world. But yes, as you say, North Korea does have
a history of breaking promises and in fact, it cancelled a round of family reunions just
last year at the last minute, to the disappointment of hundreds of divided family members.
Experts I've spoke with say such a scenario is very likely this time around as well.
That is, if South Korea and the United States push ahead with their joint military drills.
They say the North may call off the reunions and blame it on the South for sticking to
its aggressive nature despite North Korea's willingness to improve relations.
Seoul maintains that humanitarian issues, like the family reunions, should be dealt
with separately from military drills. So there is still a tug-of-war going on between
the two Koreas and we are still uncertain about North Korea's motives.
But one thing to keep in mind is that hundreds of thousands of divided families are waiting
to reunite for the first time in more than six decades and time is running out for the
elderly family members to see their loved ones again one last time.
Yes, it really would be terribly sad for the families if the reunions got called off again....
well... we'll be keeping our fingers crossed that the two sides can reach a solid agreement
to hold the reunions. Thank you for your report, Sung-hee.
That was our Hwang Sung-hee reporting on the working-level talks between the Koreas on
resuming the long-suspended family reunions. We will be checking back in with her again
during our next newscast at noon, Korea time.