Relatives separated by Korean War reunite in 3rd country after decades apart

By Aamir Latif

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Two relatives from a family separated by the 1950-53 Korean War reunited in a third country in September, marking the first privately arranged reunion in two years, local media reported Sunday.

The meeting took place amid frozen relations between North and South Korea, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported, without identifying the country where the reunion occurred.

The reunion came five months after South Korea's Unification Ministry received a request from a North Korean member of a separated family seeking assistance in locating a maternal uncle in South Korea.

The two relatives initially established contact through a mobile messaging application before eventually meeting face-to-face in a third country, according to the report.

However, it remained unclear how the North Korean relative traveled abroad amid the prolonged suspension of inter-Korean exchanges.

The last privately arranged reunion took place in October 2024, when an octogenarian South Korean living abroad travelled to North Korea to meet a nephew, with assistance from a pro-North Korean organization.

- Family reunions suspended amid tensions

North and South Korea previously organized temporary reunions for families separated by the Korean War, often around major holidays such as Chuseok, which is celebrated in both countries.

The last government-arranged reunions took place in August 2018 at Mount Kumgang, a scenic resort on North Korea's east coast, during a brief improvement in inter-Korean relations.

Tensions remain high on the Korean Peninsula, with the two countries technically still at war because the 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

The border between North and South Korea remains sealed, with no direct mail, telephone or other regular communication channels available to ordinary citizens across the divide.

Amir Latif Arain