SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – As the Koreas prepare for their second and final round of reunions of families divided by the Korean War six decades ago, which begins Saturday and ends Monday, The Associated Press interviewed participants in the first three-day session at the Diamond Mountain resort in North Korea. Here, in his own words, is what South Korean Lee In-gyeong, 62, chairman of the Korean Boxing Federation, will remember about what is likely to be his last meeting with his uncle, North Korean Ri Hung Jong, 88:
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“Before he died of stomach cancer, my father used to tell me about his younger brother, who had a great singing voice, was splendid with the guitar and won a few singing contests. He had dreamed of becoming a pop singer. Then one evening during the war, in 1950 … my uncle went out for a walk after dinner and never came back. The family desperately searched for him for months but didn’t hear a thing. We presumed he was dead.
“So we were shocked when we learned that my uncle was alive in North Korea and looking for us. His sister, who is now 80, fainted. His daughter, now 68, seemed dazed and unable to think clearly. We soon were busy buying and packing clothes, medicine and other gifts for my uncle, but it really didn’t sink in until our bus crossed the border and we began seeing North Korean soldiers. We wondered whether he was healthy. We wondered whether he remarried and had kids. We didn’t know what to expect.
“When he appeared at the door of the resort hall, he was in a wheelchair and holding a cane. I instantly cried. I had never seen him before, but he looked exactly like my father. His frame, the shape of his head, the resemblance was unmistakable. We embraced and cried.