Korean Families Reunite

Eighty elderly South Koreans, many in deteriorating health, will see their long-lost siblings and cousins at Kumgang mountain in North Korea this afternoon. The highly anticipated occasion is full of raw emotion for the participants who were ripped apart from each other during the Korean Civil War some 60 years ago.

The weeks leading up to today have been nerve-wracking for members on both sides of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), as plans for a similar meeting in September 2013 were thwarted by the North Korean government in retaliation to supposed "reckless confrontations" imposed by the South Korean administration. This is the first family reunion held since the program was suspended in 2010 after North Korea shelled Yeonpyeong Island, raising tensions to their highest since the armistice in 1953.

The participants have just three days to catch up on the past 60 years that they've spent on opposite sides of the Korean peninsula. Everyday life has likely been much easier for South Koreans, who are prohibited from bringing expensive gifts to the reunion. Instead, they are bringing the essentials their estranged families may not have access to like warm coats and medicine. Many will also bring the coveted Choco Pies as gifts and fresh fruit they hope to share together in their celebrations.

For the families reuniting at Kumgang, this weekend will be their last together. It is a bittersweet reunion, but those attending know how lucky they are. Just last year, 3,800 South Koreans who had applied to reunite with their family members in North Korea passed away without ever getting the chance. Amnesty International claims the list is some 70,000 names long.

During an orientation yesterday, the South Korean participants were instructed to not speak of the war that tore them apart because conversations will likely be monitored. But for these families, the little time they have together will surely be spent remembering their families and their lives together, for the last time ever.