Family Reunions Set

North Accepts 2 Inter-Korea Projects Next Month

North and South Korea agreed on Friday to exchange 200 separated families late next month, some four weeks after the agreed-upon date. The North also proposed a new schedule for another inter-Korean project.

In a phone message, North Korea proposed arranging the second planned reunion of 100 divided families from each side on Nov. 30 through Dec. 2 and resuming economic talks on Nov. 8 to Nov. 11 in Pyongyang. The proposal was accepted by the Seoul government and the lists of reunion candidates were exchanged immediately.

The North sent fresh proposals just a day after South Korea's unification minister, Park Jae-kyu, made a controversial statement that all exchanges between Seoul and Pyongyang will be delayed because of the North but that his government had received a "written pledge" that cooperative projects would accelerate in the spring. His remarks were contradicted by the ministry, which said it was a "verbal" promise.

"Today's proposal shows that the North will stick to its commitments and will arrange two reunions of separated families this year," said Park Ki-ryun, secretary-general of the South's Red Cross.

Some South Koreans have expressed concern that the North seems to be setting aside commitments with the South because of its recent talks with the United States. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright ended a two-day visit to North Korea on Wednesday.

The skeptics' argument gained more weight when the North failed to provide reasons for its delay on the family reunions and passed the Oct. 13 deadline for agreeing to exchange the names of the 200 candidates on each side for the reunion. From those 400 candidates, 200 will be selected.

Unification Ministry officials, however, said the inter-Korean projects will be back on track, although with some delay. A Unification Ministry official told the JoongAng Ilbo English Edition that the North said on Friday it had needed more time to track down the relatives of South Koreans.

"The North's fresh proposal today is not surprising at all. Now that the North has wrapped up talks with the United States for the time being, it can concentrate on our projects," a senior Unification Ministry official said over the phone. "Only yesterday did the U.S. officials who were in Pyongyang for Albright's visit leave the country."

Relations between North and South Korea have been warming rapidly since the leaders of the two Koreas met in June. They arranged a successful reunion of separated families on Aug. 15 to Aug. 18.

"The North simply does not have the capacity to deal with many issues at the same time," another ministry official said.

by Lee Soo-jeong