Gov`t, KNRC reveal list of 100 families sent from NK

The government and the Korea National Red Cross(KNRC) made public a list of 100 divided family members Monday that North Korea sent Sept. 30, asking the government to locate them in the South. An effort to determine their whereabouts has been launched in cooperation with the Government Administration-Home Affairs Ministry and other related government agencies.

The roster carries details on their family backgrounds and their relationships with separated relatives believed to be living in the South.

Accordingly, the task of confirming the whereabouts of the displaced family members is expected to be easier this time than it was for the previous family reunion on the occasion of the Aug. 15 National Liberation Day.

Of the 100 people, seven want to locate their immediate family members, of which three are seeking their wives and sons at the same time. The remaining 93 hope to locate their brothers and sisters.

Meanwhile, the listed families in the South whose whereabouts are confirmed will be allowed to exchange letters with their relatives in the North under the agreed first round of correspondence exchanges slated for November. But they will not be included in the reunion programs scheduled for November and December, the government and the KNRC revealed. Officials said that the government has already finished selecting 200 candidates for the second family exchange set for Nov. 2-4. The KNRC officials, meanwhile, disclosed that the list of the 200 candidates for the forthcoming reunions would be sent to the North in exchange for the 200-person North Korean list.