The two Koreas have begun holding temporary reunions for separated families at the Mount Geumgang resort in North Korea.

Ninety-seven South Koreans, accompanied by their families, arrived via an overland route at the North Korean resort around 1 p.m. Saturday.

They are meeting their long-lost North Korean kin starting with a group reunion at 3 p.m. It is the first time for the Koreas to use a family reunion center that was completed last year.

On Sunday, individual reunion sessions will be held in guest rooms at the Mount Geumgang Hotel. Also on Sunday, an outdoor reunion will be held in front of the Onjeonggak recreation complex. A final reunion session is scheduled to take place on Monday morning.

On Tuesday, a group of 99 North Koreans will visit the Mount Geumgang resort for the second round of three-day reunions with 449 South Korean relatives.

The family reunions are the first to be held since the launch of the Lee Myung-bak government. The last ones were held in October 2007.