The Korean National Red Cross has sent North Korea the personal details of 250 candidates for the upcoming round of separated family reunions to be held at the end of September. The Chosun Red Cross Society also passed South Korea a list of 200 candidates.
The results of checks into the status of the individuals on the two lists will be exchanged on September 13th, and it is expected that three days later, on the 16th, the final registers of 100 people will be concluded.
Koreas Exchange Reunion Candidate Lists
by Lee Sang Yong
http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk00100&num=10904
The Korean National Red Cross has sent North Korea the personal details of 250 candidates for the upcoming round of separated family reunions to be held at the end of September. The Chosun Red Cross Society also passed South Korea a list of 200 candidates.
The results of checks into the status of the individuals on the two lists will be exchanged on September 13th, and it is expected that three days later, on the 16th, the final registers of 100 people will be concluded.
According to the Korean National Red Cross, the oldest South Korean candidate is Kim Song Yun, a woman of 95. 62 people (24.8% of the total) are more than 90 years old. 105 (42%) are aged 80-89, 41 (16.4%) are aged in their 70s, and 42 (16.8%) are under 69 years of age. Priority is given according to age.
An official from the Red Cross noted, “When selecting the first round of 500 candidates, we found that the number of those greater than ninety years old had risen by 10% year on year.”
159 (63.6%) of the South Korean candidates are male, and 91 (36.4%) are female. A majority, 128, are spouses, parents and children, while 117 wish to meet siblings. Five are seeking extended family.
The largest number, 54, were born in Hwanghae Province, followed by 30 in South Pyongan Province, 28 in South Hamkyung Province, 27 in Gyeonggi Province, 21 in Gangwon Province, and 18 in North Pyongan Province. 74 applicants currently reside in Gyeonggi Province, 72 in Seoul, 20 in Incheon, 18 in Gangwon Province, and 14 in Busan. Of the South Korean candidates, 10% are family members of POWs or those kidnapped by North Korea.
Meanwhile, of the 200 people on the North Korean list, Kwon Eung Ryeol and six others are the oldest at 87. 155, or 77.5% of the total, are 80 or older, while 45, the remaining 22.5%, are in their 70s.
143 of the 200 are male, and the remaining 57 are female. 159 are spouse, parent or child, while 35 are siblings and six are extended family members. The greatest number, 46, are from Gyeonggi Province, while 32 are from North Gyeongsang Province, 26 from Seoul, and 23 from South Chungcheong Province. Three were born in Japan.
The full list provided by the North Korean side can be found here.