The two Koreas have failed to reach an agreement on South Korean prisoners of war (POWs) and abductees believed to be held in North Korea.

South and North Korea concluded their eighth round of Red Cross talks at the North’s Mount Geumgang resort on Thursday afternoon with only an agreement to hold additional reunions for separated families.

The two sides agreed to hold reunions via video link to reconnect 40 families from each side on Independence Day in August and during the Chuseok holidays in late September. The North and South also agreed to stage the 16th round of face-to-face reunions for separated families during Chuseok as well, following the 15th round set for next month.

The Red Cross officials also decided to conduct a trial exchange of prerecorded video messages between 20 families from each side.

However, no agreement was reached on the contentious issues of South Korean POWs and abductees. The North insisted that they be reunited with their relatives as part of regular reunions for separated families while the South sought separate reunions for South Korean abductees and POWs.

The two Koreas will meet in October for another round of Red Cross talks.