The South Korean separated families take a bus at Sokcho, South Korea, Aug. 20, 2018. A group of South Korean families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War from relatives living in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) left Monday morning for Mount Kumgang in southeast DPRK for rare reunions with their long-lost relatives. (Xinhua/Lee Sang-ho)
Dozens of elderly and frail people from the Republic of Korea (ROK) set off for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Monday to meet their family members for the first time since they were separated nearly seven decades ago by a war that divided the Korean peninsula.
A group of 89 elderly people and more than 300 others left for a Mount Kumgang resort on the DPRK's east coast in nearly 30 buses in the morning from ROK's northeastern coastal city of Sokcho, where they spent the night, reported Yonhap News Agency.
Before they set off, family members were told what to expect during the three-day reunion at a meeting with volunteers from the ROK Red Cross at a hotel in Sokcho.
The long-delayed reunion is part of a deal reached between ROK President Moon Jae-in and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in April.
Nearly 20,000 people have participated in 20 rounds of face-to-face reunions since 2000.
The separated family members attending this year's reunion event were selected from a large pool of applicants. Many have had no contact with relatives from the other side since the war divided the peninsula. For some senior participants, it may be the last time they'll meet their loved ones face-to-face. Still, they are among the lucky ones.
By the end of May 2018, around 132,000 ROK residents had applied over the years to meet their relatives in the DPRK. Only 57,000 of those hopeful applicants are still alive, the vast majority of whom are now more than 70 years old.
A total of 500 applicants were first chosen from the surviving relatives via a computer lottery. That number was later whittled down to 250, with the list later being finalized to around 90 based on age, health and other factors.
