Unification minister urges N. Korea to allow family reunions

Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon / Yonhap

By Bahk Eun-ji

Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon urged North Korea on Wednesday to allow separated families to see long-lost relatives during a joint ancestral ritual at Imjingak Park - near the border with the North - to mark the Chuseok holiday.

"Two years have passed since the reunions of separated families were suspended," Cho said.

The minister said resolving the issue should be the first step to peace and reconciliation between the two sides.

Since their first summit in 2000, the two Koreas have held 20 rounds of family reunions in which relatives living across the border since the 1950-53 Korean War are allowed to spend a few days together. No events have been held since October 2015.

In July, the South proposed talks on setting up another round, but the North did not respond.