The Korean summit: One year on

Kim Min Ha with a letter from a family member

By the BBC's Caroline Gluck in Seoul

Kim Min Ha was separated from his family during the chaos of the Korean War.

He was among 300 South Koreans allowed to swap letters with Northern relatives in March - the first official mail exchanges between the two Koreas in half a century.

If this policy comes to a halt, and relations between the two Koreas become sour, I cannot tell you how devastated we'll be

Kim Min Ha

This sudden change came as a result of a landmark summit between the leaders of North and South Korea, which took place a year ago. It was an historic event in which the leaders pledged to end half a century of Cold War hostilities.

But one year on, contacts have been frozen as the new American administration reviewed its policy towards the Communist North. That review is now over, and the US has said it wants to re-open dialogue, giving fresh hope that the inter-Korean peace process will soon be back on track.

"For separated families like myself, this policy is our only hope," says Kim Min Ha. "The last year has seen several rounds of family reunions, and letters have been exchanged between the two countries.

"If this policy comes to a halt, and relations between the two Koreas become sour, I cannot tell you how devastated we'll be. We'll lose all hope and fall into deep despair."

Fresh hope

The landmark meeting between the two Korean leaders brought fresh hope to their divided people. It led to limited reunions between separated families, as well as cultural, sporting and economic exchanges. But progress has faltered, and celebrations have given way to frustration.

President Kim Dae Jung says he will not give up on his "sunshine policy"

President Kim Dae Jung says he will not give up on his "sunshine policy" of engaging the North. He has repeated a call for his North Korean counterpart to make clear when he will make a promised return visit to the south.

But public support is wearing thin. Chung Min Lee, a professor of International Relations at Yonsei University, says: "The Korean public has gone along with the sunshine policy because they wanted to give President Kim Dae Jung a fair shot. One year after the summit, they're feeling very impatient, because we've given all of this money to the North Koreans and nothing really much has improved."

There may be more cynicism, but most South Koreans still believe engagement is the only way forward. Many blame the United States for jeopardising the fragile peace process. But now its North Korean policy review is over, there is fresh hope that inter-Korean dialogue will get back on track.

Peace on the Korean peninsula still remains a distant goal. There are calls for North Korea to show more reciprocity in its dealings with the South - and doubts about how far the country's leadership is willing to undertake serious reforms.

But separated family members like Kim Min Ha are not giving up hope. He still believes that dialogue between the two Koreas will resume - and that long-lost relatives will eventually be reunited.