North and South Korean families separated by war reunite in a sea of tears and stories

Article: Grandmother suffering from dementia remembers her lost son on the final day, "Aren't you coming with me"

Source: Korea Ilbo via Nate

Random stories from the final days of the reunion of separated North and South Korean families:

93 year old South Korean mother was reunited with her 72 year old North Korean son. "I'm so grateful for this world to finally have met you.... I could die right now and have no regrets."

The mother suffers from dementia and it wasn't until the final day of their meeting that she finally recognized him. Her son responded, "Aigoo, our mother has finally come to her senses."

The family had been separated 64 years ago when the mother left her oldest son at a family's house and had to run away to safety with her second son in tow.

She had saved a gold ring with a red stone all her life to give to her daughter-in-law and was finally able to give it to him.

When it was come time to leave on the bus, she looked around, asking, "Why isn't he coming with me?" to which her son replied, "Let's meet when the Koreas are reunified. Please stay alive until then."

Watching her bus drive away, the son ran after it with all his might, remembering back to 60 years ago when she had left him the first time, "promising to return in 10 days." This time, the mother did not make a promise.

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A 98 year old South Korean grandfather, one of two of the oldest current survivors, was reunited with his two North Korean daughters and one son. They were separated 60 years ago when he left the house promising to come back with pretty shoes for his two daughters.

The promise was kept at the reunion, as he came with two pairs of black dress shoes for the sisters, which they quickly hid under the table in case someone saw and took them away. For the son, he brought a suit for his grandson. When he noticed that his son was sick and coughing, he didn't hesitate to take off his own coat and scarf for him, both of which fit perfectly.

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An 86 year old South Korean husband was reunited with his 87 year old North Korean wife. She promised him, "I have no regrets in life now that I know you are alive. I'll always keep a bowl of seaweed soup on the table for your birthday." The husband had nothing but compliments for his wife, constantly telling her that she was "beautiful". With tears in their eyes, their meeting came to an end, with the husband saying, "I wonder if it was better that we never met again. If I didn't see you, then we wouldn't have to be apart so soon like this..."

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1. [+609, -5] It's not even as sad anymore as it is just tragic. Her son is right before her eyes and yet she can't be with him...

2. [+531, -4] Really, who was this war for and why is it the people who must suffer the consequences... I don't think a reunification will be possible until something internal erupts from the North and the pig's family line is completely dried up and destroyed. He's able to live comfortably off of the money his people must beg for, why would he want a reunification...

3. [+288, -3] These people don't have many years of their lives left, can't they just live out the rest of their lives in peace? Every single day is the last for these people, how dare we separate them?

4. [+25, -0] It'd be great if we could reunify them in a separate North South town for them to live out the rest of their lives together... There's not many of them left, just for them to be together for the few days they have left..

5. [+23, -0] In a generation where all you need is a car, boat, or plane to get to any single place in the world and yet you still have to be separated with the people you love the most........ such a heartbreaking fact

6. [+18, -3] So cruel to think that these people have never seen their own children again until they're close to death..

7. [+16, -6] Tears falling as I read this..

8. [+16, -3] Perhaps it might be better that dementia helps her forget all of this...

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Article: Awkward moments during the reunion of families... what happened?

Source: Newsis via Nate

Article talks about how some overbearing North Korean protocols interfered with the families getting to have some private time with their lost loved ones.

A 64 year old man who was kidnapped by the North was reunited with his 88 year old mother from the South but his 58 year old North Korean wife was extremely cautious of the meeting and sat between them the whole time. She blocked him with her body every time he tried to move closer to his mother and was constantly emphasizing that, "Everyone in the North are happy and are doing fine. Just because my husband has family from the South doesn't mean he gets discriminated."

She would also constantly barge in on conversations he was having with other family members to praise her pride in the North regime.

Many North Korean families were seen proudly showing off their badges they had earned, and another North Korean nephew was overheard saying to his Southern grandfather that "the reason we are still not able to meet is because of America. We all have jobs in the North." He also constantly tried to take out his badges on the table to show, which the grandfather quietly kept asking him to put away.

At the table of a 65 year old man who was serving in Kangwondo but went missing in action and then later found in the North, presumably kidnapped as well, had more North Korean personnel stationed there than any other table.

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1. [+120, -0] I feel like the wife is not really his wife but someone planted by the North Koreans. Logically speaking, why would they let someone who was kidnapped start a new family of his own just like that? It seems like they put on a show

2. [+83, -0] They really couldn't let these families meet in peace, even for just a moment?! Ridiculous... what is going on in that childish head of Jong Un's, I really must know.

3. [+75, -1] What is the North doing;;;;;;;;; and you obviously can't blame all of this on the Northern families..... you can't help but to blame everything on the war ㅜㅜㅜ

4. [+18, -2] Ugh.. the North just ruins everything.. ㅠㅠ

5. [+9, -0] Jong Un-ah, stop this nonsense, will you? Why is it that you guys can't get anything done without watching over everyone like a hawk?

6. [+7, -0] How can we expect a peaceful reunification with the way they're acting...

7. [+1,-0] How dare that wife get in the way of a son trying to speak to his own mother!!!!

8. [+1, -0] Ugh, can't imagine how upset the Southern families must have felt having to watch all of this ㅠ

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