North Korea has reportedly begun preparations to select participants for the upcoming inter-Korean family reunions, set to take place at North’s Mount Kumgang resort from August 20 to 26.
The North Korean authorities have stated that former members of the “volunteer army” (those who supported the Korean People’s Army during the Korean War) have priority, and the state is currently conducting background checks and evaluating the level of their “loyalty” toward the state.
“The process of selecting participants for the divided family reunions is currently ongoing in each region of the country,” said a South Pyongan-based source on July 2. “Those who were born in South Korea and participated in the Korean War as volunteer soldiers are being placed on lists and undergoing background checks.”
“Currently, Korean Workers’ Party representatives are visiting the homes of former volunteer army veterans and assessing their mental health, living conditions, and level of loyalty to the regime,” the source said.
A source in Pyongyang added, “State officials are the only ones who know how many volunteer army veterans there are and how many are still alive. Most of them are more than 80 years old, so there are likely very few left.”
The North Korean authorities have chosen the volunteer army veterans as a priority because of their advanced age and their relatively higher loyalty to the regime. In-depth investigations into the loyalty of such individuals toward the regime and their songbun status (societal status based on family political background and loyalty) are being conducted to determine eligibility.
As inter-Korean relations have rapidly improved, North Koreans with family members who have defected to South Korea are expressing hope in advance of the family reunions.
“Many members of divided families in North Korea were classified as dangers to the state in the 1950s, but they are now allowed to meet with their families in South Korea,” the Pyongyang-based source said.
“Many people here hope that North Korean defectors may also have the chance to meet their families in North Korea again.”
The source in South Pyongan Province explained that because inter-Korean relations have improved, many North Korean state officials have become more light-hearted than in the past.
“A Party official joked that he hoped he could eat a South Korean choco-pie while at the reunions,” she said.
