South Korean soldiers of an artillery unit check their armaments during a military drill near the demilitarized zone separating North Korea from the South, in Paju, north of Seoul April 30, 2013. Tensions between North Korea and South Korea and its ally t
South Korean soldiers of an artillery unit check their armaments during a military drill near the demilitarized zone separating North Korea from the South, in Paju, north of Seoul April 30, 2013. Tensions between North Korea and South Korea and its ally the United States have risen in recent weeks since the United Nations tightened sanctions after North Korea's third nuclear weapon test in February. The fresh sanctions led Pyongyang to threaten nuclear strikes against South Korea and the United States. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won

The war between the North and South Korea had created a partition between two countries, and as a result, family members and relatives have also split. But now, authorities from both the countries have agreed to organise a reunion for the split families in October, according to the Unification Ministry of South Korea.

On Tuesday, Red Cross delegates from both the countries had a talk on the issue, which was concluded with an agreement of holding family reunion long after February 2014. During the then-reunion in 2014, 100 people from both the Korean countries were allowed to meet for six days.

The North Korean and South Korean delegates have decided to allow 100 people, especially the older ones, from each country to reunite with their family members and relatives at the Diamond Mountain resort in North Korea from Oct. 20 to 26, Seoul’s unification ministry and North Korean media said.

The deal was agreed upon in front of the officials at Panmunjom, a border village. The Red Cross delegation from both the countries gave their consent on keeping the date of reunion post-peace talks in August after landmine blast on Pyongyang injured two soldiers from South Korea.

Most of the people seeking reunion are 70 years and older, who desire to meet their loved ones before they die. There are several people who are not even aware whether their family members and relatives on the other side are still alive as their governments don’t allow them to communicate via any means. Since the war from 1950 to 1953 between the two Koreas, people from the North and South have been living apart. This reunion is just the second meeting after the reunion of February 2014.

Brief reunions have been evident during detente period, in which around 22,500 Koreans have participated since the 1950-53 war. Out of those numbers, 18,822 met their family personally, while rest reunited digitally via video conferencing. But no one has been given second chance to meet their relatives again after that, Red Cross delegation from South Korea stated.

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