Topic on 6th Sep. Family Reunions

[siron(영일)]

Family Reunions

It will be the first reunions for families separated by the Korean War since President Lee Myung-bak took office in February 2008. The last reunions were held in October 2007 under then-President Roh Moo-hyun. It is fortunate that the two Koreas agreed Friday to allow 100 families each from the South and the North to reunite at the Mt. Geumgang tourist resort between Sept. 26 and Oct. 1.

First of all, the agreement is hoped to serve as a catalyst to resume dialogue between officials of the two sides and thereby ease tensions and move toward reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. The planned family reunions are seen as part of Pyongyang's recent conciliatory gestures to improve ties with both Seoul and Washington. Of course, the North is waving the Olive branch in an apparent bid to get out of difficulties arising from tougher U.N. sanctions against its second nuclear test.

For now, it is hard to anticipate a sudden breakthrough in the chilled inter-Korean ties unless the North returns to the six-party talks and makes good on its commitment to complete and verifiable denuclearization. Seoul and Washington are now taking a common stance that North Korea should first sit down on the multilateral talks before seeking bilateral dialogue with the South and the U.S.

In this context, the family reunions agreed to between the South Korean National Red Cross and its Northern counterpart have symbolic meanings. It is important to resume such contacts in order to help families meet their separated ones before it's too late. Officials of both sides must feel ashamed of their inability to ease the pain and suffering of scattered family members which were caused by the internecine war and perpetuated by Cold War confrontations.

Now, it is time to establish a firm principle that family reunions should be regularized on a humanitarian basis without being influenced by geopolitical changes on the peninsula. During the Aug. 26-28 meetings, the Southern side called for regular reunions and the repatriation of South Korean prisoners of war and abductees allegedly held in the North. But disappointingly, the Northern side turned down the demands, liming the talks to only one-time family unions before Chuseok, or traditional full moon harvest holiday which falls on Oct. 2-4.

The number of separated families is currently estimated at over 800,000. About 127,000 have so far applied for reunions. But only a few have succeeded in having reunions. Seventy-six percent of those applicants are older than 70 and they don't have much time to wait for their dream for family reunions to come true. Thus, both sides should do more to overcome their differences and double their efforts to allow more family reunions as soon as possible.

On Saturday, Pyongyang sent back four South Korean fishermen who were detained 30 days in the North. The move came after it freed a detained South Korean worker amid a recent visit by Hyundai Group Chairwoman Hyun Jung-eun to the reclusive country. However, it is not desirable for the South to expect too much from the North because the Kim Jong-il regime has yet to change its nuclear brinkmanship and other belligerent polices toward the South. But, it is necessary for the two sides to maintain momentum for dialogue to tackle such thorny issues as the resumption of the Mt. Geumgang tourism business and the operation of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex. Most of all, the North should abandon its nuclear ambition if it really wants to mend ties with the South and the U.S.

1. Did you see the first reunions under formar President  DJ? how did you feel?

2. what do you think of this event? do you believe We can unify within our generation?

3. Have you ever been separated from someone (parants, sibling or girl/boyfriend, friends)?

4. what do you think of weekend couple or family like father in Korea to work and earn money and remit it to the childen  overseas to study?

5. If you are forced to choose one between lover and work overseas, how will you do?

    there are 2 situations, no child and have a child.

[siron(영일)]

I hope to attend next coming sunday but I am not sure, anyhow have fun with this topic.

[June(최현경)]

Thank you for your topic.^^ It's very political. But I try to prepare well.

[Vuitton(김소윤)]

땡큐,,,^^

[Rachel(소현)]

Thx a lot for uploading this topic~^^

[Daunte]

thanks for your topic even I haven't yet read~