Before those South Korean participants left for Mount Kumgang to finally meet their relatives, our Park Hee-jun met up with some of them to find out how they are feeling on this momentous occasion.
The wait is finally over.
It's only a brief moment after almost a lifetime of separation,... but for the South and North Korean families who thought they'd never be able to see each other again,... the reunion is a dream come true.
"The day before the reunion,... we asked the South Koreans who will meet their families living North of the border one question. How do you feel?"
"I can't describe the feeling. My mother couldn't sleep for days."
"It's such a huge blessing for our four siblings. I tear up knowing I can meet my brother. I'd assumed he'd passed away."
When Oh Byung-im got married at the age of 17, her entire family went to the North looking for work.
Seventy-four years later, she will meet her younger brother Oh Byung-sam .
Of course, she has a lot of questions.
"I will tell him how much I've missed him and how happy I am to see him alive. Then I want to ask him how our parents passed away. You know, how he has lived."
Mok Won-sun and Mok Won-gu are brothers set to meet their oldest brother in the North.
But they're not sure whether the North Korean participant is really their brother,... because his family name is Kim.
"I'll ask him the names of our parents to see if he's really our big brother. If he gets it right, then it proves he's indeed our brother.”
"If he is our brother, I wouldn't expect anything but tears. We don't even have to talk to each other to feel how hard his life must have been. I can't imagine what he had to go through."
With mixed emotions,... the South Koreans will be brought together with their relatives in the North.
The three-day reunion will be buzzing with questions that were left unanswered for close to seven decades.
Park Hee-jun, Arirang News, Sokcho.
