Longing To Get Out

April 2001 – 09’

North and South Korea remain resolutely divided by the 38th parallel; but last year's historic summit between the two governments marked the beginning of what many see as the long road to unity. Family members, separated since the bloody Korean War over fifty years ago, have been allowed to meet one another for the first time. The fourth such 'Family Reunion' is scheduled for May, but the sense of hope that has been generated is equalled by a sense of despair...time is fast running out for many elderly relatives who do not have long to live.

00:00 (UPSOUND: Man crying)

00:06 This Korean man is overcome after being reunited with a family member after fifty years.

00:12 (UPSOUND: Crying)

00:18 There are tears all around this busy hall in the South Korean capital, Seoul.

00:23 (UPSOUND: Crying)

00:26 This is the third so-called Korean Family Reunion. A joint effort by the

governments of North and South Korea to unite families separated by

two countries divided by political ideology.

00:37 (UPSOUND: Music)

00:42 Old photographs and family histories are shared as some meet each other for the first time.

00:48 (UPSOUND: General sound)

00:52 Some cannot believe their own eyes.

00:55 (UPSOUND: General sound)

01:00 These are the lucky ones. One hundred people from either side selected out of hundreds of thousands of applications from families desperate to see long lost loved ones.

01:10 Some are too overjoyed to speak.

01:13 (UPSOUND: Singing)

01:38 79 year old Cho Hee Wan fought for Communist North Korea during the Korean War. Captured in 1951 he was later allowed to settle in Seoul. With all contact forbidden, he never heard from his family again, including the wife and child he'd left behind. In February this year, he met his daughter for the first time.

02:03 SOT: (Korean) Cho Hee Wan - Recently reunited

"If there will be a permanent meeting place, I really don't care where it is set up. It can be Mount Baek-Du, or Mount Kum-Kang. Wherever it is - by car, walking or by aeroplane - it's OK with me...as long as I can see them. I want to see them as often as I can because I really miss them very much."

02:36 During the war an estimated 1.2 million North Koreans fled south. Many ended up here - Seoul. A number of South Koreans were conscripted by the communists and never returned.

02:51 New generations finally have a chance to see the families they have never met, but time is of the essence. Many elderly relatives do not have long to live.

03:01 The face of politics in Korea is slowly changing, and an air of peace and reconciliation is finally being felt here.

03:08 Following an historic inter-Korean summit nearly one year ago, both nations can smell unity, something most here are hungry for. But decades of hostility are hard to overcome, and overtures of peace by North Korea are not believed by all.

03:28 SOT: (Korean) Cho Hee Wan - Recently reunited

"I have my own opinion. I can't see the two countries being united. Many people say North and South Korea will be united in ten or thirty years. But I have a different view. I always say I can't see the two countries becoming one. People like to compare us with the east/west Germany story, but Germany is very different from Korea. We are different people. I can't see the two countries being united."

04:09 The two sides maintain a strong military presence along the border. The three year Korean War ended in 1953 - no peace treaty was ever signed.

04:20 Both sides are separated by a Demilitarized Zone.

04:26 Every day soldiers from the south walk the perimeter of the border fence. Stones are wedged into the wire. They fall out if there is any sudden movement.

04:37 The enemy is carefully monitored.

04:40 Anti-American propaganda is carved into the hill-sides on the north.

04:46 (UPSOUND: Guards shouting)

04:48 The military presence will remain here while reconciliation discussions continue.

04:54 (UPSOUND: Voices)

04:58 This heavily militarized border is the Cold War's last frontier.

05:04 Soldiers from both sides stand inches from each other, divided by a symbolic line.

05:11 US and Soviet forces divided the peninsula into the communist North and pro-Western South at the end of World War Two.

05:19 Now, as the rest of the world attempts to move towards a globalized, unified economy, this symbol of a bygone era looks old and out of place.

05:27 The Red Cross have overseen three family reunions, and there are plans for a fourth to be held in May. So far over 10-thousand living relatives on both sides have been found.

05:38 SOT: (Korean) Chairman Seo, Young-hun - Chairman of the Korean Red-Cross, in charge of overseeing the Family Reunions

"The exchanging of separated families, even though it is limited to only 100 people each time, is a very important exercise. Overcoming the sorrow created by 50 years of separation can also serve to relieve the tensions and hostilities between our two countries."

06:15 Red Cross officials are currently overseeing discussions for the creation of a permanent meeting place for all families.

06:25 SOT: (Korean) Chairman Seo, Young-hun - Chairman of the Korean Red-Cross, in charge of overseeing the Reunions between North and South Korean families

"Our two countries have to be united. Not only for the sake of the people of Korea: but for the sake of our neighbouring countries and for the sake of peace around the world. It might take 5, 10, or even 15 years. It really depends on the will of the two nations and changes in neighbouring countries."

06:51 Singer Sul Woon-Du is a household name in Korea. He has released over thirteen albums, and regularly hosts his own television programmes.

07:01 Inspired by the family reunions, he has written a song to commemorate this new chapter in Korea's volatile history.

07:10 (UPSOUND: Singing on television)

07:13 His award winning, passionate songs are hits on both sides of the border.

07:19 SOT: (Korean) Sul, Woon-Do - Singer/Songwriter, National celebrity

"I have always felt passionately in my mind that these separated families should be allowed to meet one another as soon as possible. The song "Long-Lost 30 years" is about this, about the parents and siblings who spend lifetimes trying to find their lost families. During the separated families reunion I felt I had to write a song about this - about the emotions felt and the time spent waiting in hope that one day you might meet your long-lost family."

08:05 (UPSOUND: Music)

08:09 Many share the singer's optimism, and with plans for a second inter-Korean summit to be held later this year it is hoped the wave of reunions will continue.

08:18 (UPSOUND: Singing)

08:24 For the time being those brought together after lifetimes apart have to endure saying goodbye, not knowing if they will ever see each other again.

08:42 (UPSOUND: Music)

08:59 END

Producer: David Notman-Watt

Cameraman: David Notman-Watt