In a message sent to the North through the Red Cross communication line at the border village of Panmunjeom, the Ministry of Unification called for the meeting to take place on Aug. 23.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye proposed a reunion of families separated between the two divided halves in her Liberation Day address Thursday, a day after the two Koreas reached an agreement to reopen a joint industrial park in the North Korean border city of Gaeseong.
In Thursday's speech to commemorate Korea's liberation from Japan's 1910-45 colonial rule, Park said, "First and foremost, we have to ease the pains of separated families. I hope the North will be able to work together to make the reunion of the separated families possible around the time of the upcoming Chuseok holiday."
To date, 18 rounds of family reunions have been held, with the last one taking place in late 2010.
About 73,000 South Koreans have applied to meet with their relatives in North Korea, and about 80 percent of them are aged 70 or older, according to government figures.
This indicates that it is urgent for both Koreas to resolve the issue of family unions, among others, Red Cross officials said.
According to the lunar calendar, Chuseok, a major traditional holiday in Korea, falls on Sept. 19 this year.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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