84 Korean-Americans met with families in N. Korea: U.S. State Department

SEOUL, Nov. 15 (Yonhap) -- Over 80 Korean Americans benefited from
state-organized programs reuniting them with separated families in North Korea
since the 2000 inter-Korean summit, a U.S. based-radio station reported Saturday.

The first such report cited the U.S. State Department, which said a total of 84
Korean-Americans made contact with relatives separated by the 1950-53 Korean War
via programs run jointly between Seoul and Pyongyang, Radio Free Asia said.
Unofficial reunions were not included in the report.
The state-organized reunion program has been on halt since the inauguration of
the conservative Lee Myung-bak government in Seoul, with Pyongyang cutting off
inter-government dialogue with Seoul and recently threatening to partially close
passages across the countries' shared border.
The report said Washington will be able to contribute to bilateral efforts
facilitating family reunions once relations with Pyongyang are normalized, adding
there are limits to preparing such events under the current circumstance. The two
sides are making progress toward establishing "full diplomatic relations," it
also said.
While the U.S. election victory of Democrat Barack Obama has brightened the
prospects for improved Pyongyang-Washington ties, inter-Korean relations remain
in limbo since South Korean President Lee took office in February.
Taking a tougher position toward the nuclear-armed state than his predecessors,
President Lee has made clear on several occasions that his government will not
expand inter-Korean cooperation projects until North Korea abandons all of its
nuclear ambitions.
Lee has resisted implementing two major joint accords with Pyongyang struck in
2000 and 2007, which call for further economic cooperation and also the creation
of more reunion opportunities for dispersed family members.
hayney@yna.co.kr