North and South Korea have agreed to hold a reunion for the families separated by the 1950 to 1953 Korean War. The South announced today that the reunions would be held from the twentieth to the twenty- sixth of October at the Mount Kumgang resort in North Korea, with one hundred participants from each country. The announcement came after nearly twenty-four hours of talks between the two sides at the border Panmunjom Village.

The reunions, which would be the first since one hundred and seventy families embraced in emotional scenes in February last year, follow the negotiated end to a recent armed confrontation across the border.

Some critics say the reunion program works too slowly and involves too few families. South Korea seeks the reunions as a top priority, but the North has been reluctant.

Today's agreement called for more talks to pave the way for further reunions, beyond those scheduled for next month. Seoul and Pyongyang have remained technically in a state of war since the 1950-1953 war ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.