When family members meet after half a century it causes even those watching to cry. Forty families met Monday on the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of Liberation, having lived all this time separately in North and South. They met by video link and so where unable to hold hands and feel each others faces, but the "separated families" were able to placate their grief just a little by confirming that their relatives are alive. It has become apparent that the video link format will contribute in a big way to increasing the opportunity for separated families have to meet.
Video link is not a good way to meet. Seeing a family member alive for the first time in decades while still being unable to grab his hand could be another form of grief. It might be difficult to say what's really inside when family members can't meet by themselves. For elderly people who might find it difficult to move long distances for direct meetings, however, the video format is the next best thing. It is significant that everyone from the South who participated in Monday's video reunion was age ninety or over.
Now that it has been confirmed that the format presents no technical problems, it would be desirable to increase the opportunity for such meetings. The Korean National Red Cross says that of the 120,000 persons who have applied for reunions with family members in the North, an average of four to five thousand die every year. These are people who just cannot wait to meet in person. Both North and South worked to make the video link happen, so there is no reason why it cannot happen year round.
Video links could also be used as a channel for people who have met family members in person to be able to meet again. They say people suffer painful aftereffects when they meet each other just once and have to part never knowing if they'll be able to meet again. Fortunately construction on the permanent meeting facility at Mount Geumgang will begin at the end of this month. One hopes that North and South will work together to establish facilities where families may see each other via video link at any time.
The Hankyoreh, 16 August 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Allow Video Links Year Round |
