ROK, DPRK begin Red Cross talks to discuss reunion of separated families

SEOUL - The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) launched Red Cross talks Friday to discuss humanitarian issues, including reunion of Korean families separated across the inter-Korean border, Seoul's unification ministry said.

Delegations from the two sides began the talks at 10 am local time (0100 GMT) as scheduled at a hotel in the DPRK's scenic resort mountain of Kumgang.

The ROK delegation went to the hotel along a land route in the eastern region. The plenary session lasted for 45 minutes.

A key agenda on the dialogue table would be the reunion of the separated families. The ROK President Moon Jae-in and top DPRK leader Kim Jong-un agreed to hold the reunion around Aug 15, after holding their first summit on April 27.

If the reunion is held as agreed upon around Aug 15, the day to mark the 73rd anniversary of the Korean Peninsula's liberation from the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule, it would be the first such event since October 2015.

Other discussions would be ways to fundamentally resolve the humanitarian issues of people across the two Koreas.

The delegations were expected to discuss the examination on whether all the separated families are alive, exchange of letters, and visits by the families to their hometowns across the border.