North, South Korea Begin Talks on Family
Reunions

South Koreans who were separated from their families during the Korean War, talk with
Red Cross members as they check application forms to reunite with their family members
living in North Korea, at the Korea Red Cross headquarters in Seoul, South Korea,

Representatives from North and South Korea began talks Monday aimed at resuming the
reunion of families separated over 60 years by the Korean War.
Red Cross officials from both Seoul and Pyongyang sat down for discussions at the truce
village in Panmunjom to discuss where and when to hold the latest round of reunions,
which last occurred in February 2014.
There is speculation the reunions will take place in October at the scenic North Korean
resort of Mount Kumgang, the site of the 2014 event.
Millions of Koreans were separated by the 1950-53 war that split the peninsula between
the communist North and democratic South, and went decades without contacting each
other until the historic inter-Korean summit in 2000.
Reunions
The reunions were initially held on an annual basis, but were scaled back due to strained
cross-border relations.
Many Of the participants are in their 70s and 80s, and the reunions are the only chance to
see their long-lost loved ones, as both governments ban the exchange of letters, phone
calls and emails across the border.
About 66,000 South Koreans have applied to be selected for the reunion, but only a few
hundred are selected each time.
South Korea's chief delegate Lee Deok-haeng, second from right, shakes hands with




North Korean counterpart Pak Yong Il, second from left, before the Inter-Korean Red
Cross working level meeting at Panmunjom in Paju, South Korea, Sept. 7, 2015.
Monday's talks came about after the two sides reached an agreement late last month that
interrupted rising tensions that appear to have brought them to the brink of war.
Some foreign analysts remain skeptical about inter-Korean ties because of speculation
that North Korea will fire what it calls a satellite to celebrate next month's 70th birthday
of its ruling party.
Similar past launches triggered an international standoff as South Korea and other
neighboring countries called them disguised tests for long range missiles.

About 22,500 Koreans had participated in brief reunions — 18,800 in person and the
others by video — during a period Of detente. None were given a second chance to meet
their relatives, according to South Korea's Red Cross.
South Korean officials have long called for holding reunions more regularly and
expanding the number of people taking part. North Korea is seen as worrying that doing
so could open the country to influence from more affluent South Korea and threaten the
ruling party's grip on power.
The two Koreas remain divided along the world 's most heavily fortified border because
the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

"Voice Of America". September 7, 2015. Voice Of America News. September 7, 2015. <http://www.voanews.com/content/north-south-korea-begin-talks-on-family-reunions/2950535.html>

Response: This article was something that caught my attention because I thought it was
heartbreaking that the Korean War left such terrible effects that prevent people from even
seeing their loved ones. The Voice of America News seems to portray this as most of us see
it: the fact that North Korea is somewhat unreasonable and violent. I was really surprised at 
how neutral this news source seemed, but they were definitely trying to bring sadness and 
emotion into the opinions and facts of this story. This doesn't seem to be a world issue up 
front, but when I thought about it more, I realized that the conflict between North and South
 Korea has been something that has affected all of us as we watch the conflict that came from 
the Korean War that involved many of our home countries.