SEOUL, South Korea — North and South Korea worked Thursday to finalize a schedule for reuniting families long separated by the Korean War and to close a rift over whether the deal should include prisoners of war Seoul says are still held in the North.
Red Cross officials from the two sides were expected to reach an agreement on family reunions today at the end of three days of talks, offering rare opportunities for hundreds of people, mostly in their 70s and 80s, to temporarily meet loved ones at the North's Diamond Mountain resort.
The talks come as the communist regime adopts a more conciliatory stance toward South Korea and the U.S. after months of animosity over its nuclear and missile programs.
Earlier this month, the North said it would restart some joint projects, including the meetings of separated families that have been stalled since the inauguration of a conservative government in Seoul about 18 months ago.
"There are no big differences" about when to hold the reunions, which will take place around the Chuseok autumn-harvest holiday that falls on Oct. 3, one unidentified South Korean delegate was quoted as saying in reports by South Korean media.
Chuseok is a major holiday on the Korean peninsula, equivalent to Thanksgiving in the United States.
Front Section, Pages 10 on 08/28/2009