Jang Jae Eon, the chairman of the Central Committee of the Chosun Red Cross Society, the North Korean body which organizes separated family reunions, has suggested that the current round of reunions, which occurred last weekend at Mt. Geumgang in North Korea, were made possible by the goodwill of North Korea, and inquired as to whether or not South Korea intends to send aid to the North as a result.
Jang was meeting with Yu Jong Ha, the president of the Korea National Red Cross (KNRC), for the first time on the second day of the reunion event, when he noted, “This was proposed as a gesture of goodwill by North Korea,” before inquiring, “so has South Korea considered an appropriate response?”
However, Yu held a press conference at the Waegeumgang Hotel, where he explained to reporters, “We will send medical aid or donations for a Red Cross Hospital, but in order to demonstrate more serious gestures of goodwill, the authorities of the two sides must reach a consensus.”
The “response” inquired about by Jang represents an indirect request for rice and fertilizer aid by the North Korean high authorities through him. During the previous Kim Dae Jung and Roh Moo Hyun administrations, North and South Korea often combined the holding of separated family reunions with rice and fertilizer aid in the same package.
Yu explained, however, “The North did not specifically ask for rice or fertilizer aid. From the Red Cross’ perspective, it will do whatever it can, but an issue which demands a huge chunk of the citizens’ taxes (such as rice and fertilizer aid) should be decided upon by the South Korean authorities.”
Yu also explained the way he wants to see the reunions develop, “Among the 120,000 separated families, 40,000 have already passed away,” he said, “Thus, the frequency of the reunions must increase. Until recently, 2,000~3,000 members of separated families passed away each month, but now this number has climbed to 4,000~5,000. It is difficult to expand the number of family members who can participate in a single reunion, so the frequency of the reunions must be increased if possible.”
“When inter-Korean relations improve as a whole, it will help.” he concluded.
Yu also pointed out the importance of postal exchanges and online meeting events for separated families, but did suggest, “Whether or not a loved one is still alive is a huge source of shock (to separated families). It would be better for checks to be done on this beforehand.”
He added that online family reunions should be expanded out of consideration for the separated families for whom movement is difficult, and that the exchange of correspondences post-reunion should be institutionalized.
But, speaking on Sunday, he also expressed a sense of expectation for the event at hand, “If the event wraps up smoothly tomorrow, and if the purely humanitarian nature of the reunions is reported in the press, then it will help promote inter-Korean relations.”
Yu, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Kim Young Sam administration, went on, “In diplomacy, a situation which benefits myself but is disadvantageous to the other party can be considered a success, but in humanitarian issues, both sides have to be of help to each another. I gave up being a diplomat when I became the President of the Red Cross.”
The reunion event this weekend consisted of individual reunions in the guest rooms at the Mt. Geumgang Hotel in the morning and outdoor reunions on the front lawn of the Onjungak, a rest stop, in the afternoon after a group luncheon. The South Korean group is returning on the afternoon of today, the 28th, after a farewell event this morning.
A second round of reunions will take place between the 29th and the 1st of October; 99 North Korean and 449 South Korean separated family members are scheduled to participate.
