Korean families blast ‘cruel show’ reunions

SEPARATED Korean families have denounced the impending reunifications between relatives in the North and South of the peninsula as a cruel show amid an ongoing diplomatic détente between the nations.

The two countries this week exchanged lists of potential candidates, that were first whittled down to 500 and then chosen in a random lottery.

There have only been 20 brief, emotional reunions since the end of the war in 1953, with the last held in 2015. About 57,000 people, most in their 70s, crave the chance to see relatives. They are the surviving remnants of millions of people, forcibly separated from loved ones without warning after the Korean peninsula was divided.

The event, from Aug 20 to Aug 26 in North Korea’s Mount Kumgang resort, has been feted as a political win by leadership of the two countries.

But some who have been excluded from the arbitrary process have denounced the reunion as a “cruel” political show.

“They only let us see each other for a short time and separate us again. It’s like putting a dagger through our hearts,” said Lee Myung-sik, 84. Mr Lee escaped from the border town of Kaesong when his father, accused of being anti-Communist, was shot by North Korean soldiers. After decades of being unable to send a letter home, Mr Lee has little time for political gestures.

North Korea hit out at Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, yesterday for making “robber-like” demands in meetings with Pyongyang officials.

America’s top diplomat had attempted to receive commitments on denuclearisation and the repatriation of the remains of American soldiers.

The statement contradicted Mr Pompeo’s account of the talks, which he described as “productive”.