after almost seven decades he can finally tell them in person. he has consistently applied for the chance to reunite ever since the program began in the 1980s. about 130,000 people in south korea have tried. only about 4,000 families reunited. tens of thousands died waiting. words cannot express how happy i am. i feel like i am meeting people who came back from the grave. >> reporter: he'll have to condition dencondense a lifetimf stories into the handful of hours they will have together. and your son? >> reporter: he's taking his son with him. >> do you think your sisters also have grandchildren? >> translator: maybe they will bring photos, he says. i hope they bring their husbands. >> reporter: this letter from the red cross confirming he had been selected was the first news he's had of his family. and it wasn't all good.