South Korean Kim Rye-Jung (left), 96, meets her North Korean daughter Woo Jung-Hye during temporary family reunions at Diamond Mountain resort in North Korea yesterday.

HUNDREDS of Korean family members separated for more than half a century by the Korean War embraced each other in tearful reunions yesterday, a day after troops exchanged gunfire in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the countries.

"I thought you were dead. Mother missed you so much," 61-year-old South Korean Lee Min-gwan told his 90-year-old North Korean father, Ri Jong Ryol, according to pool reports by local reporters.

"I did not forget (you) every single day for the past 60 years," Ri replied to his son, who was 100 days old when they were separated during the war.

Foreign media were not allowed to cover the reunions.

Lee was among 436 South Koreans who traveled by bus to North Korea's Diamond Mountain resortyesterday to take part in the three-day reunions with about 100 North Korean relatives.

The event is the first in a two-part series of reunions. On Wednesday, about 200 North Koreans are to begin similar three-day reunions with their South Korean relatives at the same resort.

Millions of Korean families were separated after the Korean peninsula's division in 1945 and the 1950-53 Korean War.

The reunions are emotional for Koreans, as most participants are elderly and are eager to see loved ones before they die. More than 20,800 family members have had brief reunions in face-to-face meetings or by video since a landmark inter-Korean summit in 2000. There are no mail, telephone or e-mail exchanges between ordinary citizens across the heavily fortified border.

The North Koreans told their South Korean relatives they have led a "worthwhile life," saying all North Koreans "have formed a big harmonious family under the care of leader Kim Jong Il," North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said.

North Korea proposed the reunions - the first in more than a year - in an apparent conciliatory move after tensions flared over the sinking of a South Korean warship. An internationalinvestigation concluded that a North Korean torpedo sank the ship, killing 46 South Korean sailors. North Korea, however, denies involvement.

North Korea has also freed the crew of a South Korean fishing boat seized in August. In an apparentresponse to its overtures, South Korea sent 5,000 tons of rice to North Korea this past week as part of 10 billion won (US$8.5 million) in pledged flood aid.

However, in an abrupt reversal on Friday of the apparent thaw in tensions, North Korea fired two rounds at a South Korean guard post in the Demilitarized Zone and South Korean troops fired back. No injuries were reported. The reason for the attack was unclear.

The shooting came hours after the North threatened to retaliate for the South's refusal to hold military talks.

• resort [ri´zɔ:t] vi.求助；乞灵；诉诸 (初中英语单词)
• yesterday [´jestədi] n.&ad.昨天；前不久 (初中英语单词)
• series [´siəri:z] n.连续；系列；丛书 (初中英语单词)
• wednesday [´wenzdi] n.星期三 (初中英语单词)
• emotional [i´məuʃənəl] a.易动感情的；情感的 (初中英语单词)
• agency [´eidʒənsi] n.代理商；机构；代理 (初中英语单词)
• apparent [ə´pærənt] a.显然的；表面上的 (初中英语单词)
• international [,intə´næʃənəl] a.国际的，世界的 (初中英语单词)
• investigation [in,vesti´geiʃən] n.调查(研究) (初中英语单词)
• temporary [´tempərəri] a.暂时的 n.临时工 (高中英语单词)
• summit [´sʌmit] n.顶(点)；绝顶 (高中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• response [ri´spɔns] n.回答；响应 (高中英语单词)
• billion [´biljən] num.万亿 (高中英语单词)
• abrupt [ə´brʌpt] a.突然的；粗鲁的 (高中英语单词)
• refusal [ri´fju:zəl] n.拒绝；优先取舍权 (高中英语单词)
• traveled [´trævəld] a.见面广的；旅客多的 (英语四级单词)
• elderly [´eldəli] a. 较老的，年长的 (英语四级单词)
• harmonious [hɑ:məuniəs] a.协调的，悦耳的 (英语四级单词)
• fishing [´fiʃiŋ] n.钓鱼；捕鱼；渔业 (英语四级单词)
• landmark [´lændmɑ:k] n.界标；里程碑 (英语六级单词)
• august [ɔ:´gʌst] a.尊严的；威严的 (英语六级单词)