Lee Min-hyung joined The Korea Times in 2014 and has worked as a journalist mainly in Korea’s finance, tech and automotive industry. He specializes in content creation, breaking news and in-depth analysis currently on transportation and mobility. You can reach him via mhlee@koreatimes.co.kr.
Gov't steps up preparation for video reunions of separated families
Officials prepare for video reunions of families separated in the 1950-53 Korean War, at the Korean Red Cross headquarters in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap
By Lee Min-hyung
By Lee Min-hyung, Joint Press Corps
The government is speeding up preliminary works for the video reunions of families separated during the 1950-53 Korean War, starting repairs and maintenance on designated venues for the event.
The Ministry of Unification started work Wednesday on 13 reunion venues across the country. It will be completed by the end of this month, the ministry said.
Work includes replacing and repairing some outdated telecommunications devices here, as the two Koreas have not had video family reunions since November 2007.
“We are unable to use network, telecommunication and video devices of the past, so it is necessary for us to carry out the overall renovation,” Jung Jae-eun, chief of the Korean Red Cross' inter-Korean affairs office, said.
He said it has not been decided whether North Korea will use the same network equipment for the event.
“The two sides need more contact for working-level negotiations and it is likely that the North will use the same equipment as that of the South,” Jung said. “But details should be fine-tuned through negotiations.”
The South plans to test the facilities for two weeks when the work is finished at the end of the month.
Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said the government puts priority on clear pictures during the event, as most of the separated family members are elderly.
“On the technology side, we focus on generating clear images from the network and visual devices,” he said at a media briefing.
The two Koreas agreed to carry out the video family reunions during the inter-Korean summit between President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last September in Pyongyang.
The decision came amid inter-Korean reconciliation last year when the North offered to denuclearize and make efforts for peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Baik said specific timelines for the video reunions have not been fixed.
“We are going to start working-level negotiations with the North after finishing internal discussions with relevant authorities,” he said.
“We will make more internal preparations for the event and proceed with the negotiations with the North afterwards.”
But the outlook for smooth progress of the event remains uncertain, as North Korea recently showed signs of returning to the past in the wake of the failure of the Hanoi summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump in February.
With the much-anticipated summit ending in failure, the North expressed discontent over the attitude of the U.S., threatening to resume its nuclear armament.
Last month, the North also abruptly withdrew officials from the inter-Korean liaison office in Gaeseong, North Korea.