SEOUL , South Korea ( CNN ) -- North and South Korea will hold three days of talks on reunions for families torn apart by the Korean War and divisions between the two countries , South Korea 's Unification Ministry said Tuesday . North Korean Yun Young-Seob hugs his South Korean sister Yun Bok-Seob at a 2007 reunion in North Korea . The talks , which begin Wednesday , will be the first on the subject in almost two years . The International Red Cross said it was sending delegates to mediate the talks , which will be held at the Mount Keumgang resort in North Korea . North Korea was also to schedule an early-October reunion for families across the peninsula who where separated in the aftermath of the Korean War , KCNA reported earlier this month . Rapprochement talks between the two sides have hit a wall since conservative South Korean President Lee Myung-bak took office in early 2008 with a tougher stance toward the North than his liberal predecessor , Roh Moo-Hyun . Tuesday 's announcement was the latest sign of potential thawing in the icy relationship between the two Koreas , which have technically remained in conflict since the Korean War ended in 1953 . The Korean conflict ended in a truce , but no formal peace treaty was ever signed . Lee met last week , prior to the funeral of former South Korean President Kim Dai-jung , with a visiting North Korean delegation , who delivered a message from Kim Jong Il expressing hopes for improved relations between the two countries . Although the president reiterated his firm stance on North Korea , South Korean Unification Minister Hyun In Taek met with North Korean unity leader Kim Yang Gon on Saturday . The meetings between officials of the two Koreas are in stark contrast to the tense public statements they made about each other earlier this year . Tensions between the two were heightened in July when North Korea launched seven short-range missiles toward the Sea of Japan . The launches came after North Korea conducted a nuclear test on May 25 and threatened the United States and South Korean ships near its territorial waters . South Korea condemned the action , calling the launches `` provocative '' and `` unwise . '' South Korea is expected to make a second attempt to launch its first satellite later Tuesday after aborting a launch last week when a piece of equipment malfunctioned minutes before launch . Earlier this month , South Korea responded positively , but cautiously , to a joint agreement announced Monday between North Korea and the South 's Hyundai Group to resume cross-border tourism , ease border controls and facilitate cross-border family reunions . Unification Ministry spokesman Chun Hae-sung said that the two sides needed to reach an agreement through direct talks . A Hyundai subsidiary handles all tourism and business projects between the Koreas . The announcement of the agreement followed a weekend meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and Hyundai chairwoman Hyun Jeong-eun . Under the agreement , South Korean tourists would again be able to travel north across the border to Mt . Keumgang , a popular resort in the communist nation , North Korea 's state-run KCNA reported . Tours to Keumgang were halted in July 2008 after North Korean soldiers killed a South Korean tourist who strayed into a restricted area . CNN Correspondent Sohn Jie-ae contributed to this report .
North and South Korea to hold three days of talks on reunions for families . Families were torn apart by the Korean War and divisions between the two countries . Talks to be the first on the subject in almost two years . Comment: