[Editorial] Reunion of divided families offers opportunity to advance South-North relations

The first day of the 21st reunion for divided Korean families took place on Aug. 20 at North Korea’s Mt. Kumkang meeting hall. The above photo shows South Korean Cho Hye-do, 86, embrace her older sister from North Korea Cho Sun-do, 89. (joint photo pool)

After 65 years of waiting, divided families were finally able to see loved ones after being separated by the Korean War. On Aug. 20, the reunion site at Mt. Kumkang in North Korea became a sea of tears. After nearly 70 years, Koreans who weren’t even sure if their family members were alive or dead checked the faces of their loved ones, and then tightly embraced each other.

But after a short reunion of three days and two nights, the family members must once again separate. Especially heart-wrenching is the fact that a considerable number of the reunion participants have met with a nephew or some other family member only to learn that their closest relatives have already passed away.

These kinds of family reunions should be held more frequently, as opposed to appearing every once in a blue moon. Reuniting divided family members is the most important humanitarian endeavor between South and North Korea. Even now, the ordinary reunion space at Mt. Kumkang should be enlarged to include more applicants. If it is too difficult for families to meet in-person, it must be possible for families to hold video reunions or exchange letters.

“South and North must try to be bolder in solving the problem of family reunions,” declared President Moon Jae-in, who called for expanding the reunions and said that he was looking forward to a positive reply from the North Korean side.

Even in the midst of family reunions, the tug-of-war continues between North Korea and the US over the issue of denuclearization. Now is the time for cooperation and collaboration between South and North Korea, and in that regard, it is welcome news that the inter-Korean liaison office will open in a few days.

We are concerned, however, about the unyielding forces trying to obstruct progress in both inter-Korean and US-North Korea relations.

The establishment of the inter-Korean liaison office was agreed to in the Apr. 27 Panmunjeom Declaration and reaffirmed at the June 12 summit in Singapore. Of course the office would not be subject to sanctions because it does not bring economic benefits to North Korea. Yet the conservative South Korean press has been parroting the insinuations made by American officials that the establishment of the inter-Korean liaison office is a violation of sanctions against the North.

Among other points made by President Moon in his National Liberation Day address, he noted that the development of inter-Korean relations could be a driving force for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. It appears as though the establishment of the liaison office will contribute to the progress of negotiations on the North’s nuclear program.

The United States should not be swayed by the voices of hardliners against North Korea, but should accelerate the progress of the nuclear discussions. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is scheduled to make his fourth visit to North Korea soon, and we look forward to seeing fruitful results from this visit.

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