Kirk calls on U.S., N. Korea to reunite even more families

This time around, there were only five families in which spouses or parents and children were reunited - compared with 23 back in 2010. Then the farewell song "Dasi Mannapsida (Let's Meet Again)" began to play, and the mood became more urgent.

TV footage from the resort showed one elderly North Korean woman trying to keep the mood on her table upbeat, challenging everyone to an arm wrestle to show off her physical health. "Be healthy", his wife replied. Just as they groped for words, they also struggled to hear each other - perhaps because of the noise in the crowded hall, perhaps because Oh had nearly no teeth and a huge hearing aid.

"We intend to meet a responsible North Korean official, in charge of the nuclear issue, anytime and anywhere", Yonhap news agency quoted South Korea's top nuclear envoy Hwang Joon-kook as saying at an global conference on diplomacy attended by a number of foreign diplomats and scholars. Once it was clear that the emerged two parts of Korea could no longer be united, two separate states were declared with separate regimes in 1948 on the Peninsula.

"We have increased the routes for dialogue", Shii said.

But for the people of this town, including Choon-sung, as long as Korea remains divided there is no way for them to return to their hometowns in North Korea, and it could be too late for them when or if the two Koreas reunify. Lee was pregnant with their son, who is now 65 and accompanied her this week.

During their meeting, Oh told his wife that he's never stopped thinking about her. Lee, who never remarried, shared a similar sentiment with her husband.

The strategy described by Park marks a step farther from remarks made on September 4, when she said that "peaceful unification" was the "ultimate and fastest way of solving the [North Korean] nuclear problem".

"I'm sure he must have gone through a few ideological refresher course before coming to see us", Sun said.

The disparities between life in the developed South and the impoverished North were on stark display at the gathering. "He wept in silence as his daughter touched his face", the news outlet said.

The Guardian shared the story of another couple who was reunited after being separated for 65 years.

Among the participants to be selected for the painful brief reunion were Lee Soon-gyu and her husband Oh In Se.

The emotional three-day reunions that started Tuesday are the first time many of them have seen their loved ones since the war between the countries more than 60 years ago.

Prof Shigemura said the North Korean military was becoming restless under Mr Kim's rule, particularly since Pyongyang backed down from plans to launch an intercontinental missile or to carry out an underground nuclear test earlier this month to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers' Party.

"Those from the north told their separated families and relatives from the south about the fact that they and their families are enjoying a happy and worthwhile life in the Korean-style socialist system", KCNA reported.