I really hope no one thinks that the possible meeting of long separated families is some great breakthrough for inter-Korean relations though the cynical side of me believes that many of the usual media pundits will claim it is:

North and South Korea were close to agreement Friday on a schedule for reuniting families long separated by the Korean War, in rare talks being held amid Pyongyang’s push to reach out to Seoul and Washington, reports said.

Red Cross officials from the two sides were expected to wrap up three days of talks with an accord to hold six days of temporary reunions involving a total of 200 families from Sept. 26, according to reports in local media accredited to cover the talks. They cited an unidentified South Korean delegate.

However, the sides failed to reach agreement on how to address the issue of hundreds of South Korean prisoners of war and civilian abductees believed alive in the North, because the communist nation refused to discuss the matter, the official was cited as saying.

The meetings came after the North adopted a more conciliatory stance toward South Korea and the U.S. following months of defiant provocations including its second nuclear test in May and a barrage of banned ballistic missile launches.  [Associated Press]

It is good to see South Korean President Lee Myung-bak is not forgetting about the hundreds of South Koreans currently held hostage in North Korea:

Millions of families were separated by the Korean War, which ended in 1953 with a cease-fire, not a peace treaty.

South Korea estimates that 560 of its soldiers from the war remain alive in North Korea, in addition to 504 South Korean civilians — mostly fishermen whose boats were seized since the war’s end.

North Korea says the civilians voluntarily defected to the North and denies holding any prisoners of war.

Despite the continued hostage taking by the North Koreans I would be surprised if Lee doesn’t work some kind of deal out in return for the South Korean fishermen recently taken hostage by North Korea.  The meetings of family are of great emotional importance to not only the effected families in South Korea but also just the public in general because of how heart breakingly emotional they are.  That is why the North Koreans are likely trying to organize more reunions as part of their recent charm offensive.  Once the reunions start than the North Koreans also have an additional bargaining chip to play against the South Korean government when they decide to act up again, which we all know they will.

A couple of years ago I had a Korean friend of mine who had a relative participate in one of these reunions tell me that his relative had told him that during the reunion she was asked by her North Korean relative for money in order to not make his handlers angry at him and ensure more reunions could take place.  So like everything involving inter-Korean events like this the North Koreans will also milk it for every cent they can get which is also why they hold these reunions up at the Kumgang Resort in North Korea.  Also notice that the Hyundai Chairwoman who’s company runs the Kumgang Resort just got back from North Korea and is likely pushing this issue behind the scenes in South Korea in order for her company to increase profits.  Hyundai’s tourism ventures has failed to generate profits after the murder of a South Korean tourist at the resort and the recent rise in tensions by the North.

This just all goes to show that the family reunion proposal has little to do with any concern with decreasing tensions or for the separated families.   It just another North Korean political calculation and money making venture.