Family reunion talks stall
The DPRK and the ROK disagreed yesterday on when families divided by the Korean War will be allowed to meet, at the first family reunion talks between the two sides in nearly two years.
Family reunions had been held annually since a landmark inter-Korean summit in 2000, but were suspended in 2008 when ROK President Lee Myung-bak took office with a hardline policy toward Pyongyang.
Although tensions have cooled and the reunion talks have resumed, the two sides were still at odds over the timing.
Seoul wanted the first stage of the reunions to be held in late September followed by a second stage in early October, while Pyongyang demanded that both stages be held in early October, close to the Chuseok autumn harvest holiday, according to ROK media pool reports.
Chuseok, which falls on Oct 3, is a major holiday for both sides, equivalent to Thanksgiving in the United States.
AP
(China Daily 08/27/2009 page12)
