Hundreds of families separated by the Korean war will meet this week in the first reunions for nearly three years, as cultural and economic exchanges between the two Koreas continue despite concerns that progress on denuclearisation has stalled.

The reunions of about 93 families from South Korea follow an agreement between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in at an April summit. The relatives are meeting for three days in the scenic North Korean area of Mount Kumgang. They will be followed by the gathering of 88 families from North Korea that will start on Friday.

Seoul has been seeking to bolster deeper engagement with Pyongyang even as the US has sought to maintain tough sanctions on the North to force the regime to abandon its nuclear weapons.