This was the 21st reunion for the war-torn families.
Not nearly enough, and always, too many years wasted without holding more such an event.
First in almost three years.
Were there clearly visible efforts by organizers to make up for lost time?
Well, in general, I could sense that the authorities from Seoul and Pyongyang worked very hard this time to do as much as they could for these elderly participants.
South and North Korean authorities made it so they had to move around as little as possible, and they increased the number of hours they got to spend with their relatives in their private rooms from two hours to three hours as well.
Though that might seem like a minor change, we heard from the families that their individual get-togethers were much better than the public ones -- because they could speak more candidly with each other... away from the eyes of South and North Korean officials.
They also decided to give them more time to spend with each other than initially planned.
As the reunions were going on, the South Korean authorities suggested to North Korea that the last session on the final day be extended from two hours to three, and the North agreed... so the families got to spend 12 hours in total, rather than 11.
