Kwon Young-se, unification minister of the Republic of Korea (ROK), has proposed talks on Thursday with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on family reunions. 

Kwon extended the invitation of dialogue on the eve of the Chuseok holiday, one of the biggest annual celebrations for both countries, saying that Seoul is willing to consider Pyongyang's preferences in deciding the date, venue, agenda and format of the talks.

He described the separation of families as a "painful reality" and highlighted the urgency of resolving it as many families have been separated since the 1950-53 Korean War and family members haven't seen each other for decades.

"We hope that responsible officials of the two sides will meet in person as soon as possible for a candid discussion on humanitarian matters including the issue of separated families," Kwon told a news conference.

Governments from both sides have held face-to-face reunions occasionally since 2000, with the last one in August 2018, where about 90 families from the ROK and the DPRK embraced each other for three days.