North Korea agrees to negotiate on the issue of family reunification.

The South Korean Unification Ministry announced on August 22nd, through official media channels, that North Korea had accepted South Korea's proposal to hold working-level talks to arrange reunions for families separated during the 1950-1953 Korean War at the border village of Panmunjom.

The joy of reunion for two brothers living in North and South Korea.
Photo taken on October 31, 2010. (Source: AFP/VNA)

According to a proposal from South Korea, the two sides will meet on August 23rd at Panmunjom to discuss the time and location for reunions for members of separated families. These reunions could take place around or during the upcoming Chuseok holiday (Korean Mid-Autumn Festival) on September 19th.

South Korea and North Korea first held reunions for families separated by the war in 2000 and have since organized 18 similar reunions for 20,000 people who have not seen their relatives since the Korean War. However, due to strained relations between the two Koreas, no reunions have been held since 2010.

North Korea's move to accept talks came four days after South Korea proposed holding talks at Panmunjom instead of the Kumgang Mountain area, as previously suggested by North Korea.

South Korea is concerned about North Korea's intention to combine the issue of family reunions with the reopening of tourism to the site through talks at Mount Kumgang, while Pyongyang insists the two issues are related.

According to North Korea, talks on reopening tours to Mount Kumgang could be held in late August or early September, not September 25 as proposed by South Korea. These tours have been suspended for five years following an incident in which a South Korean female tourist was shot dead for entering a restricted area.

According to (VNA) - DT