S Korea, DPRK exchange search results of separated families

SEOUL, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Tuesday exchanged search results of separated families that applied to attend upcoming family reunions, the Unification Ministry said.

A new round of reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 war, which has been agreed by South Korea and the DPRK in August, are scheduled for Sept. 26 to Oct. 1, shortly before Chuseok Day (Mid-Autumn festival), one of the two most important Korean traditional holidays.

The two sides on Sept. 1 exchanged lists of applicants to search their relatives in each other's territories and find out whether they are alive. The Red Cross societies on both sides, via liaison officers at Panmunjom, on Tuesday exchanged their search results, Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung told reporters.

Surviving relatives of 159 DPRK applicants, among a total of 200, have been located, totaling 1,387 people, and the DPRK side's search results will be made public later in the day, Chun said.

The final lists of 100 people to attend the upcoming reunions will be exchanged on Thursday, he added.

The family reunion program began in 2000 after a historic inter-Korean summit between the two sides.

Since then, the two sides have held 16 rounds of face-to-face reunions and seven rounds of video exchanges.

The last reunions were held in October 2007. The program was suspended as ties between Pyongyang and Seoul soured after South Korea's conservative government under President Lee Myung-bak came to power in February 2008.

About 600,000 South Koreans are believed to have relatives in the DPRK. Ordinary citizens were not allowed to make phone calls, send letters or exchange e-mails across the border.