The 20th round of reunions of separated families between South and North Korea was held in October 2015. Two and a half years have passed, but the tearful reunions still break our hearts and once again make us think of split family members who have suffered from the pain and sorrow of living apart from their loved ones for all those years. Today, we’ll shed light on the exchange visits of separated families in Seoul and Pyongyang in 1985, when the emotional family reunions began.

In 1945, Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule but it was divided into South and North Korea along the 38th parallel. In 1985, the two sides pushed for the reunions of families separated by the Korean War. It was a greatly significant event for the separated families, as relations between South and North Korea had been severed for 40 years. At that time, I was in my 30s. My parents came from Pyongsan, Hwanghae Province in North Korea. They came down to South Korea during the war, and they missed their hometown so much. I still remember that they turned to wipe away tears on traditional holidays. I also remember they waited impatiently for the family reunions, looking forward to seeing their parents in North Korea again.

You just heard Lee Sang-chul, head of the Korean Assembly for the Reunion of Ten Million Separated Families, which is a non-governmental organization based in Seoul. Mr. Lee says that 1985 was a special year for separated families. After South Korea accepted North Korea’s proposal of providing flood relief aid in 1984, inter-Korean relations progressed rapidly. In August 1985, the two sides reached a dramatic agreement on the reunions of separated families on both sides of the border. Displaced family members in the two Koreas were anxious to see their long-lost kin again for the first time since national division. A group of 50 people each from South and North Korea was supposed to cross the border to participate in the reunion program. The number was far too small, considering that 10 million people were separated from their families during the Korean War. That was one-third of Korea’s total population in 1950 when the war broke out. Still, the event marked the beginning of family reunions, and those who were fortunate enough to be selected for the reunion program were ready for the historic exchange visits of separated families. At 9:30 a.m., September 20, 1985, the delegations from South and North Korea passed through the truce village of Panmunjeom at the same time to visit Seoul and Pyongyang, respectively. The following day, they were reunited with their lost relatives at last, the first meeting of its kind ever for separated families.

Among the South Korean delegation, 35 people met with their 41 North Korean family members at the Koryo Hotel in Pyongyang. The meeting place was instantly filled with the wailing of the families.

A son finally met with his mother, who he had missed even in his dreams for decades. But the joy was only short-lived. His heart was broken at the thought of parting with his mother again soon. Meanwhile, 30 people among the North Korean delegation were reunited with 51 family members at Sheraton Walker Hill Hotel in Seoul. Sadly, a son burst out sobbing in front of his old mother who didn’t recognize her own son.

Having suffered from 40 years of separation, the participants all had their own heartbreaking stories, which made people all across the nation shed tears. It was art troupes that wiped away their tears. In fact, the separated families were not the only ones that visited Seoul and Pyongyang that year. As part of efforts to create a reconciliatory mood, the two Korea’s art troupes touched each other’s soil. On September 21 and 22, an art group from Seoul performed at the Pyongyang Grand Theater.

And artists from Pyongyang staged performances at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul.

The two Koreas held their first art exchanges in 40 years since division, raising hopes for unification.

My parents wished to go to the theater to watch the North Korean show. But they couldn’t, since there were so many separated families who wanted to visit the theater, which accommodated only a limited number of audiences. My parents and I watched the performance on TV, crying a lot. At the time, many North Korean expats were pretty excited and cherished hopes that they would be able to visit their hometowns again.

As Mr. Lee just said, separated family members believed that unification would come about soon and that they would visit their hometowns and see their relatives in North Korea. Unfortunately, their hopes did not come true. After the exchange visits of separated families, Seoul and Pyongyang discussed the reunion issue many times. But official reunions never took place until 2000, when inter-Korean relations faced a new phase following the historic first inter-Korean summit. Bilateral ties showed signs of improving after the inauguration of the Kim Dae-jung government in South Korea in 1998. Riding on the positive mood, the first inter-Korean summit was held on June 15, 2000, when the leaders of the two Koreas agreed on the issue of family reunions. Accordingly, on August 15 that year, the first round of inter-Korean reunions of separated families was held. The participants were overwhelmed with emotion to meet their families and relatives again for the first time in over half a century. The dramatic scene turned the Korean Peninsula into a sea of tears once again.

From then on, South and North Korea held family reunions occasionally, with 20 such events taking place until October 2015. But Mr. Lee says that it’s difficult to solve this humanitarian problem in this way.

There have been 20 rounds of family reunions. But only 2,000 people or a mere 1.5 percent of 131-thousand applicants were allowed to participate in the reunion program. It comes as no surprise that the majority of the applicants are disappointed. Seriously, the separated family members are too old now to join the reunion program, as 80 to 90 percent of the applicants are estimated to be in their 80s and 90s. In ten years from now, most of the first-generation separated families will die. Time is running short. I think it’s necessary to confirm their life status again and allow them to visit their hometowns or ancestral graves at least.

About 130-thousand people in South Korea are registered with the Unification Ministry as applicants for the reunion program. Among them, 72-thousand people have already passed away, never meeting their lost families again. For the surviving family members, there isn’t much time to lose. Even at this moment, they miss their relatives across the border and hope to be reunited with them as early as possible.