Newsademic British English edition 260

o r ea n
 
f a m il y
 
r e u n io n s
Between 20th and 26th October hun­
dreds o f family reunions took place 
in North Korea. M ost o f these fam­
ily members are now over 80 years 
old. Brothers met sisters and parents 
met sons and daughters. They had 
not seen their relatives since their 
country was divided at the end of 
the Korean War in 1953.
Japan took over the whole o f the 
Korean Peninsula in 1910. In 1941, 
Japan attacked the USA. This was 
the start o f the Second World War 
in the Pacific. After Japan’s defeat 
in 1945, American troops occupied 
the southern part o f Korea. Russian 
soldiers moved into the north. The 
USA said that Korea should become 
a democratic independent country. 
Russia wanted it to be a one party 
communist state. So the country be­
came divided.

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29th October 2015 
N e w s a d e m ic .co m ™
 - British English edition 
page 
8
In 1950 the North invaded the 
South. This led to the Korean War. 
It lasted for three years. The United 
Nations (UN), with mainly Ameri­
can troops, helped the South. China 
supported the North. The war ended 
in a truce. Yet, so far, no peace treaty 
has ever been signed between North 
and South Korea.
East Sea
(Sea o f Japan)
SOUTH
Yellow
 
KOREA
Sea
JAPAN
The border between the countries 
is where the two opposing armies 
were facing each other when the 
fighting stopped in 1953. It’s known 
as the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). 
This narrow strip o f land is covered 
in mines and barbed wire. Today, 
thousands o f North and South K o­
rean soldiers still face each other on 
either side o f the DMZ. The division 
o f the country separated millions of 
people from their relatives.
Members o f one family have 
run North Korea since it became 
a separate country. Kim Il-sung 
ruled North Korea for 46 years. 
After his death, his son, Kim Jong- 
il, took over. Kim Jong-il died four 
years ago. He was succeeded by 
one o f his sons, Kim Jong-un. Not 
much is known about the current 
leader, but he is thought to be in 
his early 30s.
After the Korean War, North K o­
rea became a very secretive country.
Purges, or sudden arrests, are not 
unusual. The country has a large 
number o f prison camps. Many sus­
pect that people in North Korea are 
‘brainwashed’. They are told that 
their leaders are god-like and never 
do anything wrong. North Koreans 
may not leave their country unless 
they have special permission. Few 
visitors are allowed.
Nowadays, South Korea holds 
democratic elections for its politi­
cians and president. Several o f its 
large companies are world leaders 
in computer technology, shipbuild­
ing and industrial design. It also has 
more internet connections than any 
other country. Yet it’s thought that 
tens o f thousands o f people in North 
Korea do not have enough to eat. 
There is not much electric power. 
Only senior people in the govern­
ment and army have enough food 
and energy supplies.
M ost o f North K orea’s money 
is spent on its army and weapons. 
The N orth’s army is the fifth larg­
est in the world. About ten years 
ago North Korea began to develop 
nuclear weapons. In recent years, it 
has organised several underground 
nuclear test explosions.
Korean family reunion in North Korea (Hyeseon Ko)
It’s difficult to know what life 
is like for ordinary people in 
North Korea. The country’s lead­
ers control the newspapers and 
television and radio broadcasts. 
News reports from other countries 
are blocked.
After an agreement made in 
2000, family reunions were sup­
posed to happen every year. Yet, if 
there are disagreements between the 
two countries, the North often can­
cels them. Before the latest reunion, 
the last one was at the beginning o f 
2014. The meetings take place in a 
North Korean holiday resort, which 
is not far from the DMZ.
The Red Cross organises the re­
unions. It is a worldwide humani­
tarian organisation. Around 66,000 
South Koreans are on a waiting list 
for a family reunion. M ost are now 
in their 80s and 90s. Normally, a 
computer program randomly selects 
a few hundred people. They have a 
medical examination to make sure 
they are healthy enough to travel. A 
check is then made to confirm that 
their relatives in North Korea are 
still alive.
About 650 
people travelled 
from the South to the North for 
the recent reunion. These family 
members had not seen each other 
for over 60 years. They were al­
lowed to meet six times. Each 
meeting lasted for two hours. Af­
terwards, those from the South re­
turned. There were many tears, as 
the families knew that they would 
never see each other again. □
T