North Korean Skate Heroine Appeals For Early Unification

PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA – MAY 22: North Korea's legendary speed skate heroine, Han Pilhwa, 73, who became the first Korean winter Olympics medalist in 1964, on Friday May 22 appealed for an early North-South unification in a recent interview with Kyodo News. Han is still remembered as a big news maker during the 1990 Sapporo Winter Asian Games when she met briefly in tears with his own elder brother from whom she separated amid 1950-1953 Korean War. "The motion and feeling of the separated families are the same," said Han who also stressed the need for peoples in both nations to meet each other. Han and the brother had since then been unable to meet again, said Han, adding that she indirectly heard of his death later. -- Remarks of Han Pilhwa:“Although Korea had been separated, kins are kins and they can't live apart. So I though kins must live together by definitely realizing the North-South unification of Korea.” “My brother, who was left in the South after the Korean War, told me he was heartbroken as he could not see his parents. He said he wants to live with the parents and often went to the river bordering the two Koreas to call their names.” “To be honest, I then thought we really wished to have been able to meet him in the reunited motherland. I then realized my brother had passed away and only his son was left.” “We are making every effort to bring about the unification but various obstacles are hindering.” “I really expect the motherland is reunited as soon as possible and peoples from each side can meet each other.” “I am not the only member of the separated families and I believe their sentiments are quite the same.” --