By Kim Sue-young, Joint Press Corps.
Staff Reporter
Red Cross officials from South and North Korea began discussions over when to hold a reunion of displaced families in a three-day meeting that opened at the Mt. Geumgang resort in North Korea, Wednesday.
A South Korean delegation proposed having 100 South Koreans meet with their families in the North between Sept. 27 and 29 and 100 North Koreans meet families in the South between Oct. 6 and 8.
North Korea suggested the reunion date of Oct. 3-5 for South Koreans and Oct. 6-8 for North Koreans, respectively.
"We will have further discussions on details including one-on-one meetings of separated families," the South's chief delegate Kim Young-chel said after the talks.
But the chief delegate Kim indicated before crossing the inter-Korean border that his three-member delegation would bring up as many humanitarian issues as they can, including the repatriation of prisoners of war (POWs) and abductees.
"We will discuss a reunion of separated families which many people are looking forward to hearing," he said. "We will also make an effort to talk about many other humanitarian issues."
The Red Cross talks took place in the wake of an agreement between Hyundai Group, inter-Korean projects operator, and North Korea's Asia-Pacific Peace Committee last Monday after Hyundai Chairwoman Hyun Jung-eun had a rare meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.
The five-point accord calls for reunion of families displaced by the Korean War (1950-53) on Chuseok, Korean Thanksgiving Day, which falls on Oct. 3 this year.
The reunion had been suspended since late 2007 since North Korea unilaterally cut off a hotline between the two countries in retaliation for South Korea's support for the U.N. condemnation of human rights violations in the North.
When asked whether they would ask for the release of four detained South Korean fishermen, chief delegate Kim said the delegation would not bring up the issue.
"A North Korean delegation who participated in the state funeral of former President Kim Dae-jung made promises and showed trust to us. So, I don't think we should necessarily touch that issue," he said.
Six North Korean senior officials, including Kim Ki-nam, secretary of the Workers' Party Central Committee, and Kim Yang-gon, head of the party's Unification Front Department, paid respects to the late Kim last Friday and met with President Lee Myung-bak and other top officials.
Details on what they discussed remain sealed.
On July 30, fishing boat "800 Yeonan" with four crewmembers on board was towed to the North after accidentally crossing the Northern Limit Line.
Unification Ministry spokesman Chung Hae-sung said, "We have asked for the immediate release of those people and the North kept saying its agency is investigating them."