Korea family talks set to resume

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Thousands of families were separated by the 1950-53 war.

Red Cross officials from South Korea have crossed into the North for talks which could allow families divided by the border to begin meeting again, reports BBC.
The reunions have been suspended for almost two years, because of the worsening ties between the two nations.
This new round of negotiations reflects a recent improvement in relations between the two sides. If the three-day talks are successful, family meetings could resume as early as October.
The BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul says that for hundreds of thousands of Koreans, separated from their relatives by war in the 1950s, time is running out.
The North and South are still technically at war, as a peace treaty was never concluded at the end the inter-Korean conflict. The talks are being held in the North Korean resort of Mount Kumgang.
"Since it is a meeting being held after a year and nine months, the main topic is the dispersed family issue," chief South Korean delegate Kim Young-chol said.
Two Korean sisters are reunited for the first time in 2000 after being split during the 1950-53 war - 15 August 2000 file photo
Even if talks are successful, it is likely that only a fraction of those families on the waiting list will be able to see their relatives in the highly emotional but all-too-brief meetings, our correspondent says.
Only about 100 families from the 100,000 or so searching for their relatives are likely to be involved. In the early part of the decade about 16,000 families were briefly reunited.
The countries regularly held Red Cross talks to discuss family reunions and other humanitarian issues until late 2007.
However the reunions were stopped after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office in February 2008 amid North Korean anger at his policy of ending unconditional aid handouts.