Sep 11, 2015 South Koreans who were separated from their family members in the North by the Korean War recently welcomed an agreement reached by the two Korean governments to hold family reunions.
The agreement came on the heels of a recent armed confrontation between the two Korean countries. The family reunion was necessitated after 170 families created emotional scenes in February last year.
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of Liberation Day, over 100 people, many of whom were separated from family members in North Korea, were invited to join a train tour to the demilitarized zone, by the country’s national railroad operator Korail.
Speaking on the exercise, 75-year-old Choi Bock-hyun, who was separated from his mother and younger sibling during the Korean War said:
“By taking this opportunity, I hope that families separated in North and South Korea can meet regularly. And I believe the Korean people are all of one mind and looking forward to it,”
The news of the reunion agreement was greeted with claps from participants of the tour on board the train.
“I do have a hope. I hope I can meet my family before I die. I am old and almost 20 years have passed since I applied to see my family members in the North. And I am actually getting tired of waiting. However, I have not given up hope yet,” said 75-year-old Cho Tae-ryong