South Korea proposes family reunion talks with north Korea

South Korea's Red Cross proposed working-level talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sept. 7 to discuss the reunion of families separated by the 1950-1953 Korean War, the Unification Ministry said on Friday.

The talks were suggested to be held at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides the two Koreas, Unification Ministry spokesman Jeong Joon-hee said.

The reunion was expected to be held during the upcoming Chuseok holiday that falls in late September.

Millions of Koreans have been separated for six decades as the Korean War ended in a 1953 armistice. The last family reunion was held at the DPRK's mountain resort of Kumgang in February 2014.

The move came days after South Korea and the DPRK agreed on Tuesday to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula following a 43- hour marathon dialogue at Panmunjom.

Pyongyang expressed regrets over a landmine blast which injured two South Korean soldiers on the southern section of the DMZ on Aug. 4. The incident escalated the inter-Korean tensions into a crisis that militaries of the two countries were put on the highest alert.

South Korea stopped broadcasting all propaganda messages with loudspeakers in frontline areas. In return the DPRK agreed to lift an order for its forces entering a quasi state of war.
Source: XINHUA