Inheritance suit straddles Korean divide

SEOUL: A rare lawsuit filed by four siblings from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), staking claim to their late father's fortune in the Republic of Korea (ROK) is making its way through the court system. Legal experts say it could inspire other families divided by war six decades ago.

The father, a doctor identified only by his family name, Yoon, had six children in the DPRK when war broke out on the Korean Peninsula in 1950. Fleeing south during the fighting, he took only his eldest child with him, a lawyer handling the case said.

After the border dividing the nations was sealed, he never saw the rest of his family again, lawyer Bae Keum-ja said in Seoul as she prepared for an upcoming court hearing. He tried, unsuccessfully, to bring his wife and remaining children to the South, she said.