North, South Korea to hold family reunions

North and South Korea will hold temporary reunions in August for families separated by the Korean War in the latest reconciliatory move between the two nations, officials confirmed Friday. The decision came after a nine-hour meeting between delegates from both countries. South Korea’s Unification Ministry said the reunions will take place from Aug. 20 to Aug. 26 at North Korea’s Diamond Mountain resort. Both countries will send 100 participants. Earlier in April, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed during a summit to hold the reunions in August to coincide with the two nations celebrating independence from Japan. The last Korean reunions took place in 2015 before relations between the nations worsened as the North intensified its nuclear program. “If we sternly separate ourselves from the unfortunate past and acquire a strong mindset for the new times, humanitarian cooperation between the North and South will flourish,” North Korean delegate Pak Yong Il said at the meeting.