United briefly

Lee Young-sil, 87, right, and her sister Ri Jeong-sil, 84, now living in North Korea, shed tears as they met each other during inter-Korean family reunions held at the Geumgangsan Hotel in North Korea, Thursday. / Yonhap

Inter-Korean family reunions take place at Mt. Geumgang

By Yoon Sung-won

More than six decades have passed since the 1950-1953 Korean War.

Families and relatives separated by the war have grown old apart, with their last memories of each other frozen in a

time when they were 60 years younger.

However, the passage of time was no match for the bonds of family as 82 of some 70,000 South Koreans who have

relatives in North Korea had their long-awaited family reunions Thursday.

Sobs filled the room when they got together, and few could manage to say much other than crying out each others’

names as they fought to control their emotions.

North Korean participants of the family reunions head to the welcoming banquet arranged by the Pyongyang government at the Geumgangsan Hotel. / Joint Press Corps

Meeting his 65-year-old son for the first time in six decades, Kim Young-hwan, a 90-year-old South

Korean, repeatedly told him “I’m sorry.” His son was only five when Kim left him and his wife to flee from the

battles.

While some were at a loss for words, others found it hard to stop talking. There was a lot of embracing, patting of

faces, exchanging of photographs as the reunited family members desperately attempted to make up for lost time.

With their advanced age, many of the people in the room appeared to be in fragile health. Some barely managed to move in their wheelchairs. Others failed to recognize their long-lost family members because of their weakened memory.

But they all tidied up as best they could and brought gifts for their family members from the opposite side of the Korean peninsula.

Lee Seon-hyang, 88, left, hugs her North Korean brother Yi Yun-geun, 72. /Yonhap

South Korean Park Chul bows to his North Korean uncle Park Un-hwa, 78. / Joint Press Corps

Almost everyone appeared to realize this will likely be the last time they will see their relatives from the other side of the Demilitarized Zone, barring unification of the two Koreas in the near future or the setting up of more frequent reunions.

Overwhelmed after meeting his daughter and two younger sisters he left in the North during the war, Park Un-hyeong, 93, made a promise he may or may not be able to keep.

“Stay healthy until the day of reunification and let’s meet again,” Park said.

Kim Yong-ja, 68, center, cries as she shows a photo of her late mother, who died just days before separated family meetings, to her sister Kim Young-sil, living in North Korea. / Yonhap