SOUTH Korea’s new government proposed a meeting with North Korea today to discuss a resumption of reunions of families separated since the 1950-53 Korean War.

Family reunions are a highly emotional humanitarian issue because they involve people in their 80s and older who are desperate to see their long-lost relatives before they die.

But North Korea, which often uses such reunions as a bargaining chip in dealings with the South, is unlikely to accept the offer because it has steadfastly rebuffed Seoul’s offers to resume talks on its nuclear programme and other issues, such as the South’s war games with the US.