By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
The two Koreas began talks Monday with a view to resuming stop-start reunions for family members separated by their tense border -- some of whom have not seen each other since before the 1950-53 Korean War.
Red Cross officials from both sides met in the morning at the truce village of Panmunjom, following up on a breakthrough agreement reached between Seoul and Pyongyang last month.
The last inter-Korean reunion took place early last year -- such events have been vulnerable to the rise and fall of bilateral relations since the initiative got underway under relatively warm ties in 2000.
Time pressure is a major factor though, with thousands of elderly relatives waiting to be reunited -- nearly 70,000 family members are currently registered on the South Korean side alone.
While Seoul has expressed its desire to hold regular reunions, starting soon after the traditional Korean Chuseok holiday at the end of this month, it is feared that a provocation around October's 70th anniversary of the founding of the North Korean Workers' Party could derail any headway made Monday.
"We will do our best to meet everyone's expectations and aspirations," South Korean delegate Lee Duck-hang told reporters before the talks got underway.
