Decades after separation, families anticipate reunions

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“I’ll be back in a moment.”

That’s the last thing 84-year-old Paik Seong-yeon told her sister before losing contact.

Paik grew up in Suncheon County, South Pyongan Province in present-day the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). She remembers her small village of about 200 homes surrounded by mountains and a bypassing stream.

“We would catch crayfish and play with our friends. It's the same as rural families here now. That's how we lived,” Paik said.

When the Korean War erupted, Paik fled to escape the fighting. During the chaos, she and her sister were separated from the rest of the family.

By 1951, they ended up in the present-day Daegu City in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Shortly thereafter, Paik lost contact with her sister.

Picture taken on August 16, 2018 shows Paik points to a diagram of the village she was raised in present-day DPRK. /CGTN Photo

Paik is one of more than 57,000 South Koreans looking for their separated family members in the DPRK, according to a government registry.

Her quest to reconnect began in 1983. Over the last 35 years, attempts to participate in government-sponsored reunions were unsuccessful.

But hope grew when she found out in July that she had made a preliminary list of 500 people selected to participate in the latest round of family reunions.

That list was soon whittled down to 250 people, and eventually, Paik made the final cut of 100.

Unfortunately, Paik also learned that her parents and siblings had since passed away, her sister dying less than six months prior.

But Paik was determined to reconnect with her past. She is to meet the spouses of her younger siblings during August 20-22 at the DPRK’s Mount Kumgang resort.

“The first thing I want to ask is how did mom and dad pass away. Whatever happened to grandma and grandpa? All I can ask about is how they lived. What else would we have in common to talk about because we didn't grow up together,” Paik said.

She hoped that learning about her family’s past can bring closure to the life of sorrow she has lived.

Picture taken on August 16, 2018 shows Paik and her husband pack gifts ahead of family reunions. /CGTN Photo

But after three days of reunions, Paik knows that a second farewell will come. It’s the cruel and harsh reality for reunion participants, knowing they will return to a life of separation.

“After we meet our family members in the DPRK, they should let us exchange letters or travel back and forth. All I want is the opportunity to meet each other. That's it. What else could I ask for,” Paik said.

Ever since losing touch with her family 67 years ago, Paik has been building a new one. She met her husband while renting a small room in Daegu, where he was the landlord.

When asked how she has spent the past six decades separated from her family, Paik replies, “depending on my husband."