S. Korean Group in N. Korea to Inspect Family Reunion Facilities

A South Korean team has arrived to inspect facilities at Mount Geumgang ahead of upcoming inter-Korean family reunions.

The team made up of 20 officials from the Unification Ministry, South Korea’s Red Cross and Hyundai Asan, which had operated tours to Mount Geumgang, crossed the border at around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

During its three-day stay, the team will inspect facilities that will be used for family reunions, including the mountain resort's reunion center, the Oekumgang Hotel and the Mount Kumgang Hotel.

Once the team returns home on Friday, South Korea plans to frequently send personnel for work on the facilities.

Ahead of the departure, Kim Byung-dae, a senior Unification Ministry official leading the team, said the visit was being made in line with agreements reached during inter-Korean Red Cross talks held last Friday. He said the team will thoroughly check related facilities so that the reunions will go off without a hitch.

The two Koreas will hold family reunions between August 20th and August 26th. One-hundred people from each Korea will be selected to attend the reunions and the two Koreas will exchange the final lists of participants on August fourth.