Separated families burst into tears as they reunite for the first time in nearly 70 years
- 6 years ago
눈물과 미소로 가득한 이산가족 상봉 현장
A life-long wait comes to an end for a select few divided families, thanks to a conciliatory mood on the Peninsula.
Some 90 South Koreans were selected from a pool of tens of thousands who applied,... and they finally met their relatives today.
The first few stories we have for you today will revolve around the reunion of war-torn families.
Let's start things off by turning to our Park Hee-jun.
Hee-jun, as Koreans, the participants and those bearing witness, we are all going through a gamut of emotions even as we speak.
Daniel.
I wish there were better words to describe it,... but today was probably the most meaningful and special day for the participants who were reunited with their families.
They finally met this afternoon,... the first time since they were torn apart by the Korean War nearly 70 years ago.
The selected 89 South Koreans met with their relatives living North of the border,... from 3PM to 5PM, Korea time.
From what we hear from South Korea’s joint press pool,...the scene was more dramatic and heartbreaking than most had imagined.
The participants’ faces were hard and serious when they first entered the hall.
But once they started to recognize their relatives,... the room burst with overwhelming emotions.
Some families burst into tears, others couldn't stop smiling.
While many of them were unable to speak as they were trying to hold back their emotions,... others enjoyed a long-overdue chat with their relatives-- asking each other about their lives and recalling the last memories they shared before being torn apart by the Korean War.
If you imagine how agonizing it would have been for the participants who weren’t able to communicate with their relatives,... nor confirm whether they were alive for all this time,... the flood of emotion doesn’t exactly come as a surprise.
Now the South and North Korean participants will end the day by attending a welcoming banquet hosted by North Korea at 7PM.
They had so much to say to each other but so little time,... so they'll be eagerly waiting for the next round of reunions on Tuesday.
Back to you, Daniel.
A life-long wait comes to an end for a select few divided families, thanks to a conciliatory mood on the Peninsula.
Some 90 South Koreans were selected from a pool of tens of thousands who applied,... and they finally met their relatives today.
The first few stories we have for you today will revolve around the reunion of war-torn families.
Let's start things off by turning to our Park Hee-jun.
Hee-jun, as Koreans, the participants and those bearing witness, we are all going through a gamut of emotions even as we speak.
Daniel.
I wish there were better words to describe it,... but today was probably the most meaningful and special day for the participants who were reunited with their families.
They finally met this afternoon,... the first time since they were torn apart by the Korean War nearly 70 years ago.
The selected 89 South Koreans met with their relatives living North of the border,... from 3PM to 5PM, Korea time.
From what we hear from South Korea’s joint press pool,...the scene was more dramatic and heartbreaking than most had imagined.
The participants’ faces were hard and serious when they first entered the hall.
But once they started to recognize their relatives,... the room burst with overwhelming emotions.
Some families burst into tears, others couldn't stop smiling.
While many of them were unable to speak as they were trying to hold back their emotions,... others enjoyed a long-overdue chat with their relatives-- asking each other about their lives and recalling the last memories they shared before being torn apart by the Korean War.
If you imagine how agonizing it would have been for the participants who weren’t able to communicate with their relatives,... nor confirm whether they were alive for all this time,... the flood of emotion doesn’t exactly come as a surprise.
Now the South and North Korean participants will end the day by attending a welcoming banquet hosted by North Korea at 7PM.
They had so much to say to each other but so little time,... so they'll be eagerly waiting for the next round of reunions on Tuesday.
Back to you, Daniel.