The leaders of North and South Korea agreed Friday to hold reunions of families separated by the 1950-1953 Korean War on Aug. 15, in another sign of thawing relations.
The agreement was reached during a summit between South Korean President Moon Jae In and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the border village of Panmunjeom, according to a joint declaration.
(Korea Summit Press Pool)
The declaration says the two sides "agreed to proceed with reunion programs for the separated families on the occasion of the National Liberation Day of Aug. 15," as part of mutual efforts "to swiftly resolve the humanitarian issues that resulted from the division of the nation."
It says the two sides will convene an inter-Korean Red Cross meeting to discuss and solve various issues, including the reunion of separated families.
The reunions of separated families have been held on and off since a landmark summit between the two Koreas in 2000, but none have taken place since October 2015.
The issue is regarded as an urgent humanitarian matter as many members of divided families are of advanced age and strongly wish to see their relatives on the opposition side of the border before they die.
South Korea had earlier been calling for its resumption but North Korea had been reluctant, urging Seoul to first return women who are believed to have escaped to South Korea from a North Korean government-run restaurant in China in 2016.
More than 10 million Koreans have close relatives living on the other side of the border, separated during or in the immediate aftermath of the Korean War.
Nearly 131,000 people have registered with the South Korean government to take part in the program until the end of January, but about 73,000 have already died without being able to meet their family in the North.
Read more on inter-Korean summit:
Koreas confirm goals of "complete" denuclearization, ending war
Kim Jong Un voices hope for start of new chapter of Korea's history
Moon, Kim shake hands, raising hope for formal end of Korean War
Kim becomes 1st North Korean leader to cross inter-Korean border
South Korea's Moon no stranger to inter-Korean diplomacy
North Korea's Kim remains an enigma on world stage
Inter-Korea summit media center booming, some feel let down
