South Koreans head to north for reunions

In what is seen as a historic attempt, several hundred mostly elderly South Koreans headed for North Korea Tuesday for a rare reunion with relatives they have been separated from since the Korean War.
The reunion, comprising a series of meetings over a week, will be held in a Mount Kumgang resort, near the border.
Thousands of families have been separated with little or no contact since the war ended in 1953.
Reunions have been held sporadically since 1988 and depend on the state of relations between the two countries. The last reunion was held in February 2014.
This year’s meeting comes after an agreement in August that de-escalated tensions sparked by a border explosion that injured South Korean soldiers.
More than 65,000 South Koreans were eligible for reunions with relatives in the North but only 100 were chosen. Of those hundred, 10 have since died or become too ill to travel.
In South Korea participants are picked at random by a computer which takes into account their age and family background.

Read also: North, South Korea agree to hold family reunions next month

They also have to sit for interviews and take medical examinations to determine if they are fit to travel.
The first group of about 400 South Koreans, comprising of chosen participants and their accompanying family members, are heading for the first round of meetings running from Tuesday to Thursday, reported Yonhap news agency.
Another 250 will attend the second round of meetings from Saturday to next Monday. Each round comprises of six two-hour sessions.
Many of those attending from South Korea are bringing gifts for their North Korean relatives such as clothes, food, toothpaste, and cash.

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