Such a tragedy involving all of these separated families, of course, will be dissolved entirely with the abolition of the wall between the south and north, which, as all of the Korean people have come to realize, can hardly be realized within a short period of time from now. Thus, the Korean National Red Cross (KNRC), pursuant to the Red Cross spirit of love for humanity and relief, formally proposed on August 12, 1971, to the North Korean Red Cross that a conference be started between the Red Cross Societies of both south and north Korea to negotiate in detail for the search and reunion of those separated families scattered in both parts of the divided territory, from a purely humanitarian point of view. As the North Korean Red Cross accepted on August 14, 1971, the humanitarian proposal advanced by the Korean National Red Cross, an official ontact between the delegates of both Red Cross Societies took place at Panmunjom on August 20, 1971, for the first time in 26 long years and five days after the artificial division of the national territory.

A preliminary conference has been under way since September 20 this year for negotiations on problems related to the opening of a full-fledged plenary conference.

The Ministry of Communications is to issue a commemorative postage stamp on December 31, the closing day of 1971, wishing, together with the entire people of Korea, for an early realization of the ardent hope of those 10 million unhappy families who have lived separated and divided in south and north during the past quater of a century.