South Koreans to meet Northern family for first time since the peninsula

Participant Kim Bong-eoh arrives at a hotel and gathering point ahead of the inter-Korean family reunion in Sokcho. Pic/AFP

Dozens of elderly and frail South Koreans gathered excitedly on Sunday on the eve of their first meeting for nearly seven decades with family members in North Korea. The three-day reunion begins on Monday at the Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea. Millions of people were swept apart by the 1950-53 Korean War. Because the conflict ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty, the two Koreas have remained technically at war. All civilian exchanges - even mundane family news - are banned.

Since 2000 the two nations have held 20 rounds of reunions but time is running out for many ageing family members. More than 130,000 Southerners have signed up for a reunion but most of them have since died. Most of those still waiting are over 80 and the oldest participant this year is 101. This year, 89 elderly South Koreans gathered in Sokcho city on South Korea's northeast coast to spend the night before heading to the heavily-fortified border.

Kim Jong Un slams sanctions again
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, for the second time in less than a week, slammed international sanctions on his country. "The hostile forces' persistent sanctions and obstructive moves come as a serious setback to the advance of our socialism," said Kim Jong-un. He said that despite the sanctions, the country was making history.

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