North Korean Red Cross chairman Ri Chung Bok said Saturday that North Korea is willing to discuss allowing the exchange of letters between separated families and holding reunions regularly.

The two Korean governments previously allowed letter exchanges from 2000 to 2003. According to data from the Integrated Information System for Separated Families, a total of 679 letters were sent between separated families before the exchange ceased 12 years ago.

In the past, the way to exchange letters was simply to convey interest in sending a letter to the governments of both the North and South. Each family could send the