South Korea said Monday it hopes to arrange a reunion of separated families on the other side of the border with North Korea even after the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday.
It has become virtually impossible to hold such an event before the holiday that falls on Feb. 19 this year due to Pyongyang’s recalcitrance, unification ministry spokesman Lim Byeong-cheol said.
“We expect North Korea to respond positively to our proposal even after the Lunar New Year Day in order to hold a separated family reunion event in consideration of the wishes of related families,” he said at a press briefing.
The South’s presidential panel on reunification earlier proposed ministerial talks with the North to discuss pending inter-Korean issues including ways to resume the family reunion on the occasion of the Lunar New Year holiday, one of the largest annual celebrations by Koreans.
On the North’s test-firing of short-range missiles over the weekend, the ministry reaffirmed Seoul’s firm stance.
“(The government) plans to deal resolutely with North Korea’s provocation and also maintain the Korean Peninsula Trust Process to build up mutual trust through dialogue and cooperation between the South and North,” said Lim.
North Korea fired the missiles into the East Sea on Sunday, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff. (Yonhap)
