Families from North and South Korea, separated with little contact for half a century by the Cold War frontier, will be allowed to correspond from November as part of a new deal. Red Cross negotiators from the two Koreas agreed to locate relatives of selected candidates, initially 300 from each country, and allow them to start exchanging letters in November. That number is set to increase gradually. South and North Korea have also agreed to hold two more exchanges of divided families before the end of the year.
Exchanges of 100 relatives from each side will take place simultaneously during November and December. While contacts have increased since South Korean President Kim Dae-jung met North Korean leader Kim Jong-il in June, the border remains closed and most forms of communication are still banned.
