Peace Hope Rises As The Two Koreas Begin Family Reunion Talks

by Benson Agoha | Asia

North and South Koreas are meeting today to bridge the gap, a move that has been a long time coming.  It is being organised by the Redcross.

* Reaching across for reunion. Delegates of both sides shake hands.

Despite recent clashes between North and South Korea over messages broadcast by South Korea across the border, through giant speakers, hope for peace looms as the two nations have reportedly began family reunion talks.

In a report Chanel NewsAsia said North and South Korea Red Cross began talks to organise an emotional reunion for families separated by the Korean War since when the two nations have hardly seen eye-to-eye.

Despite several attempts in the past, this simply had not taken place. Todays discussions are reportedly taking place in a border town/village - the Village of Panmunjom.

Whether it will achieve it's aim is another issue because North Korea often posses demands that the South refuses to meet.

According to the report today's discussions were the product of an agreement the two Koreas reached two weeks ago to end a dangerous military standoff and reduce cross-border tensions.

In this Feb. 25, 2014 file photo, South Koreans hold their North Korean
relative's hands on a bus after the Separated Family Reunion Meeting
at Diamond Mountain in North Korea. North and South Korea started
talks at a border village Monday, Sept. 7, 2015,

Read more here: http://www.bradenton.com/2015/09/06/5978019_2-koreas-start-talks-to-prepare.html?utm_campaign=Contact+SNS+For+More+Referrer&rh=1#storylink=cpy

Today's meeting is only expected to confirm another date and location when the main negotiations will take place, likely in early October.

Still, that they are meeting at all over the issue - only second time in five years represents a break-through as strained cross-border relations have not allowed both nations to meet more than once in five years.

Only one reunion talk, with several being cancelled at the last moment by North Korea, has taken place in the past five years.

The Koreas fought a bitter war between 1950-1953, during which family members were separated by a conflict that sealed the division between the two Koreas - itself a direct result of the cold war between the Russian Federation and the West.

About 60,000 elderly people, many of them in their 80's are on the waiting list for negotiation but only 700 will be selected each time for return back home.

The last emotional meeting between the two Koreans held in February 2014 and there still exists the fear that North Korea may pull out of the negotiations at the last minute as it has done several times already.

* Chanel NewsAsia contributed to this report.