A team of working-level officials visited North Korea’s Mount Geumgangsan on Wednesday to survey the slated venue for the separated family reunions next month.

Fourteen members including those from the Unification Ministry and Hyundai Asan traveled to the resort area for a two-day visit to check the facilities at Oegeumgang Hotel and Geumgangsan Hotel as well as the reunion center.

The two Koreas earlier this week exchanged a preliminary list of candidates to take part in the reunion being arranged in the week of Oct. 20.

Preparations are being done earlier than usual as North Korea is expected to be engrossed in celebrating the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party on Oct. 10.

The South Korean Red Cross, meanwhile, began to check the status of 200 family members sought by those in the North. Upon checking whether they are living and identifying their whereabouts, the South will be confirming the results to the North Korean side on Oct. 5. The North will likewise confirm the status of people in the North looked for by their South Korean family members.

The final list of the reunion participants will be exchanged after further checks such as their willingness to attend and health conditions on Oct. 8. The final list will have the participants narrowed down to 100 on each side.

The South Korean family members seeking for their loved ones were mostly in their 80s at 40 percent, followed by those aged 90 and over (33 percent), in their 70s (18 percent) and aged 69 years or less (9 percent).

The North Korean members were also mostly in their 80s at 96 percent.

Most of the separated family members were spouses, siblings or cousins.

(khnews@heraldcorp.com)