South Korea’s two main political parties have spoken out in support of plans for a round of separated family reunions in the coming months.
Hwang Woo Yea, who chairs the ruling Saenuri Party, commented this morning, “As many people as possible must be reunified (with their relatives), even if the reunions period and number have to be extended.”
Speaking at a meeting of top party officials at the National Assembly, Hwang recalled, “More than half of reunion applicants are over 80 years of age, and many elderly applicants pass away each year.”
“If North Korea sincerely hopes for progress toward peace between North and South, they must unconditionally reverse their position. This includes the matter of family reunions,” he urged, adding that the Saenuri Party would work to formulate policy to best promote related issues, including the formation of a “unification network” to expand communication.
Hwang’s counterpart with the opposition Democratic Party, Kim Han Gil expressed his hope that the reunions would be successful.
“The restarting of the reunions is an opportunity for dialogue and negotiation to occur between North and South. In this way, we must achieve Korean Peninsula peaceful coexistence and find the road to unification,” he declared during a meeting of opposition Democratic Party officials, also this morning.
