Dozens of elderly Koreans gathered Sunday at the South Korean border with North Korea to be reunited with family members from the North as part of the first round of reunions in more than three years.
More than 57,000 South Koreans had registered for a chance to meet relatives in North Korea, but only 93 were chosen for the latest round of brief meetings, which are set to begin Monday in North Korea's Mount Kumgang tourist resort. Only 88 North Koreans have been allowed to participate.
Over three days, the participants will have six face-to-face meetings with their North Korean relatives -- under the watchful eyes of North Korean agents.
There have been just 20 reunions since 2000, the last one took place in October 2015.
Millions of Korean families were divided by the 1950-53 Korean War. After more than 50 years of separation, many of those waiting to be reunited with their loved ones have died. Most of those surviving are over 80 years of age.
Among those most desperate to reconnect with family are Korean-Americans who have never been included in the reunion process.
South Korean officials tried to have Korean-American families included in Monday's reunion, but Pyongyang rejected the notion.