UpdateSeparated Korean families hold tearful final farewells as reunions come to an end
There were poignant scenes at the North Korean resort of Mount Kumgang as families split by the partition of the country in 1953 ended reunions with tears and hopes for the future
The joy of being reunited for the first time in decades turned to grief for North and South Korean families on Saturday as a rare cross-border visit ended, with participants unlikely to ever see their relatives again.
In perhaps the most traumatic moment of the emotionally-charged event, 80 elderly South Koreans and their 174 Northern relatives were separated, many at first refusing to let go of their loved ones’ hands.
The families, the first of two batches who are being allowed to meet with each other 60 years after they were torn apart by the chaos of the 1950-1953 Korean War, were given an hour to say goodbye in a hotel dining room at a North Korean mountain resort.
At the start of Saturday’s meeting, many were already in tears, while others forced smiles to hide pent-up emotions.
As the time for parting ways drew near, the atmosphere became more heated, punctuated by bursts of crying.