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Two Korean sisters are reunited for the first time in 2000 after being split during the 1950-53 (half a century later) war - 15 August 2000 file photo


North and South Korea have agreed to resume family reunions that were called off by the North two years ago, the two sides have announced in a statement.

The reunions, begun in 2000, were shelved amid worsening relations, but talks on the issue resumed this week.

Several hundred families split by the 1950-53 Korean War will be able to meet for several days from late September, the joint North-South statement said.

The agreement is the latest sign of tensions easing between the Koreas.

Time running out

Red Cross officials from both countries reached agreement after three days of talks at the Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea - where the family reunions are to be held from 26 September to 1 October.

The families will be allowed to stay for a few days, spending time and sharing meals together, before returning to their homes.

Tens of thousands of families were separated by the war and the number who will be briefly reunited is a tiny fraction of those on the waiting list, says the BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul. For the rest, time is running out, our correspondent adds.

The North and South are still technically at war, as a peace treaty was never concluded at the end of the war. - BBC

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