Meeting siblings after 50 years

Korean families reunite for three days in April this year in the North

SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- Friends of 77-year-old Kim Yong-Wook bid him farewell. They have known him since they all were children in a village in what is now North Korea.

But among them, Kim is the first to be selected to meet his brother and sister for the first time in over 50 years.

Kim's story is a common one for the tens of thousands of Koreans who were separated from their families by the Korean War.

As a young man in his early 20s, Kim left his parents and five younger brothers and sisters behind to find fame and fortune in the South, never dreaming that he would never see most of them again.

The Red Cross sent Kim a letter telling him he would be able to meet his sister and brother during this reunion, but added that one brother had already died, one sister was too sick to travel while another was missing.

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"What can I tell them," says Kim. "How can a sinner like me possibly face them."

Nevertheless, Kim is getting bags of presents ready for his brother and sister. Scarves so they can ward off the harsh winter winds in the North, as well as gold rings which they can sell to use when they need it, he says.

"I came South so that we would one day all live well," laments Kim. "Now all I can go back with is this."

Photographs

Kim is also getting together photos of his children and the 20 or so people from the same hometown that came South.

Of them, only five are still alive, and anxiously await Kim to bring back word about their own families.

While several hundreds of divided families have met their loved ones through brief reunions, there still is no permanent relief for the tens of thousands remaining.

Red Cross officials from the two Koreas are talking, but analysts don't expect a substantial breakthrough anytime soon.

So for the time being, as Kim prepares to set off on an emotional visit to North, he considers himself lucky.