Reunion list made public

The government and the South Korean National Red Cross yesterday made public the list of 138 South Korean families whose North Korean relatives` records and whereabouts were confirmed by the North Korean Red Cross.

However, 12 of the family members received bad news, as their relatives in North Korea were found to have passed away. The North Korean family members of the 126 others, however, were confirmed to be still alive.

The selection committee for the reunion of divided families will now narrow down the list to 100 by Aug.2 or Aug. 3, giving priority to those with immediate family members in the North and the elderly. The remaining 26 will be excluded from this reunion. Meanwhile, the South Korean National Red Cross confirmed the whereabouts of most of the 200 persons on the North Korean list for the reunions, finding a total of 196 people, two of whom have passed away.