Permanent reunion center to be built by 2005 in DPRK

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, November 06, 2003

Permanent reunion center to be built by 2005 in DPRK

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Red Cross officials of South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) agreed to build a permanent reunion center for separated families by the first half of 2005, according to Yonhap News Agency.

The agreement was reached at the end of three-day inter-Korean talks on Thursday attended by Red Cross officials from South Korean and the DPRK, said the South Korean news agency.

The proposed 20,000-square-meter facility at the DPRK's resort Mount Geumgang is to house offices for representatives of both sides as well as lodging and other facilities.

A ground breaking ceremony will be held as early as next April and the construction work will completed one year later, Yonhap quoted the agreement as reporting.

The construction of a reunion center at Mount Geumgang on the DPRK's east coast was agreed upon following the landmark inter-Korean summit in June 2000 between then South Korean President KimDae-jung and DPRK top leader Kim Jong Il. However, negotiations have dragged on for three and a half years due to differences concerning the size of the envisioned center.

The permanent reunion center is hoped to facilitate more reunions of families separated since the division of the Korean Peninsula.

Thousands of separated family members have taken part in temporarily reunions since the historic inter-Korean summit in 2000. In South Korea alone, more than 100,000 people are on the reunion waiting list.

Red Cross officials also agreed to enlarge the reunion center if necessary and allow it to be used for South Korean tourists to the scenic mountain resort.

The two sides also reached an agreement on holding the ninth round reunion for separated family members sometime after Lunar New Year in February 2004.

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