North and South Korea agree to reunite families in October

According to South Korea's Unification Ministry, families from North and South Korea will reunite in a brief series of meetings in October.

Both Koreas have agreed to allow the reunion of 100 people from each side of the country for six days from October 20 to October 26. This will be the first such reunion since February 2014 of last year.

According to Unification Ministry's website, almost 130,000 people from South Korea have registered to meet their families since 1988. However, only 66,000 of them are believed to be alive and, within the families that are still alive, more than half of them are documented to be in their 80s or 90s.

On September 15, each side will offer a list of names for reunion. South Korea will offer a list of 250 while North Korea will offer a list of 200. Both sides will meet and talk on October 5 to discuss the eligible candidates. The final list of 100 people from each side will be decided on October 8.

Jang Chun, who was one of the fortunate few to make a trip to North Korea's Mount Kumgang resort last year, said, "It was a shocking and emotional experience. I had no idea if my younger brother and sister were still alive or not. I was filled with both joy and sorrow. We vowed to somehow see each other again." 

Since the Korean War, many families were split apart in the North and South. Numerous people from both sides haven't been able to see their family members across the DMZ in more than 63 years.