​Park proposes reunion of families separated between 2 Koreas

By Park Sae-jin Posted : January 6, 2014, 14:20 Updated : January 6, 2014, 15:28
President Park Geun-hye Monday proposed a reunion of family members separated between the two Koreas around the Lunar New Year holiday to help ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The Lunar New Year’s Day falls on Jan. 30.

In a nationally televised New Year’s press conference at Cheong Wa Dae, Park lamented that the planned reunion of family members separated by the 1950-53 Korean War was cancelled in September last year.

"I hope that elderly members of separated families will be reunited around the Lunar New Year holiday, thus healing the wounds in their hearts," Park said.

She expressed hope that the North will take advantage of separated family reunions to build a new framework for inter-Korean dialogue.

To date, 18 rounds of family reunions have been held, with the last one taking place in late 2010.

About 73,000 South Koreans have applied to meet with their relatives in North Korea, and about 80 percent of them are aged 70 or older, according to government figures.

During Monday's news conference, President Park welcomed North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's New Year speech calling for the improvement of inter-Korean relations.

Asked about the possibility of an inter-Korean summit, Park said she is willing to meet with Kim at any time. However, she emphasized that such talks should not be talks for talks' sake.

Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.

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