Nearly two hundreds of separated families from South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are expected to be reunited at Mount Kumgang resort from Saturday to next Thursday, shortly before Chuseok Day ( Mid-Autumn festival), one of two most important Koreans' traditional holidays.

Nearly 100 elderly South Koreans prepared Friday to meet with their long-lost relatives in the DPRK, headed to Kumgang resort by bus on Saturday morning.

Among the 100 South Korean people, four were unable to participate in the event due to their frail health, the National Red Cross of South Korea said. More than three-quarters of the participants are over 70 years old.

The six-day reunions for families separated by the 1950-53 war, which has been agreed by South Korea and the DPRK in August, will include two back-to-back events. During the first three days, the South Koreans will be reunited with their 240 relatives in the DPRK. In the second segment, 99 elders from the North will come tomeet with their 449 South Korean relatives.

According to local media, South Korean Red Cross President Yoo Chong-ha led the South Korean families to Kumgang resort, and is expected to meet with his DPRK counterpart Jang Jae-on during the earlier segment of the events.

The family reunion program began in 2000 after a historic inter-Korean summit between the two sides.

Since then, the two sides have held 16 rounds of face-to-face reunions and seven rounds of video exchanges.

The last reunions were held in October 2007. The program was suspended as ties between Pyongyang and Seoul soured after South Korea's conservative government under President Lee Myung-bak came to power in February 2008.

About 600,000 South Koreans are believed to have relatives in the DPRK. Ordinary citizens were not allowed to make phone calls, send letters or exchange e-mails across the border.

Source:Xinhua