'Postmen' reconnect inter-Korea families
A foundation uses conventional and unusual methods to help relatives separated after the war to send letters and packages across the border
In a cramped and tiny office in the South Korean capital, an 80-year-old man displays letters postmarked "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" in pale red ink.
The imprints with North Korea's official name testify to Kim Kyung-Jae's success in reconnecting some of the tens of thousands of family members separated for decades by the world's last Cold War frontier.
There are no civilian mail or phone connections across the closely guarded inter-Korean border, and many do not even know whether their loved ones are still alive.
Sporadic reunions since 2000 have brought together only a fraction of those seeking news, and have been halted because of political tensions. Kim and colleagues in a nine-member foundation called the Separated Family Union try to bridge the gap, using postal systems of third countries or brokers.
Kim sends about 70 to 80 letters and packages every year to North Koreans at the request of families in the South. It takes roughly 30 days for letters to arrive and another 30 days for a reply to come back.
In the case of letters, Kim mails them from Japan, where he is based. But Tokyo restricts the contents of packages to the North to comply with UN sanctions, so those are sent through China.