It's been six and a half decades since the Korean War ended with an armistice, but peace was never officially declared. For so many Korean Americans who still have ties to the peninsula, they've seen talks take place with the DPRK over the years, but they've all eventually ended in disappointment. Even so, the community is holding out hope that this time it will be different. CGTN's May Lee has more from Koreatown in Los Angeles.  

Koreatown in Los Angeles is the epicenter of the largest concentration of ethnic Koreans outside the peninsula. Roughly 300-thousand Korean-Americans call greater LA their home. But for many, their homeland is still Korea. All the more reason the upcoming summit between DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump is captivating the Korean-American community here.

HYEPIN IM PRESIDENT, FAITH AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT "For many Koreans and I think even the non-Koreans that are around me, they're all equally excited and hopeful, but at the same time because of the past there is this guarded, tempered hope or celebration just because you just don't know."

The on again, off again summit has certainly heightened that cautious approach, but for Kee Park, the possibility of lasting peace on the peninsula is stunning.

"Six months ago if you had told me, they would be meeting in Singapore, Trump and Kim, that would have been laughed at. And look where we are now."

Park, who is a surgeon, has seen first hand what an isolated DPRK has done to its people. He's been going on medical humanitarian missions to Pyongyang for the past 10 years.

KEE PARK DIR. DPRK PROGRAMS FOR THE KOREAN AMERICAN MED. ASSOCIATION "The North Korean people inherently are distrustful, especially if you're coming from the United States. Some people come, they make promises, they don't come back. So we were very careful that we made promises we could keep and we've gone in every time, every year, we've never missed a year. My favorite part is working across the table with a North Korean surgeon on the same patient. We're not enemies anymore."

Jason Ahn also hopes the summit will lead to a breakthrough, especially on the issue of divided families. More than 100-thousand Korean Americans have family members in the DPRK they haven't seen in more than six decades.

JASON AHN BOARD CHAIR OF DIVIDED FAMILIES USA "You can imagine the folks who remember their mother, their brother, their child whom they left in North Korea are in their 70s, 80s, 90s, if they're still alive and so time is running out."

Ahn, who is the Board Chair of Divided Families USA, documented this issue in his film, "Divided Families".

"I have a brother living in NK. His name is Ung Hee Lee. I believe he's in his 70s. Several years ago, I received a letter from him, since then I haven't heard from him, so I'm not sure if he's still alive."

MAY LEE LOS ANGELES "And that is the hope of so many Korean Americans here in Koreatown and elsewhere that the upcoming US-DPRK summit will produce concrete results. Even with the many disappointments in the past, Koreans here, including myself, who still have loved ones on the Korean Peninsula, we are cautiously optimistic and hope that permanent peace is somewhere in the not so distant future. May Lee, CGTN, Los Angeles."