For families separated by the war, this year witnessed a limited amount of reunions, but hope of more to come. CGTN's Jack Barton spent a day with a South Korean man who was re-united with a brother he had not seen since the sibling strayed north of Seoul as a ten-year-old, looking for food just before the rest of the family had to evacuate south across a frozen Han River.

The resumption in August of brief and very limited reunions for families divided by the Korean War. A key part of an agreement struck between South Korea's President Moon Jae-in and Chairman Kim Jong-un at their first summit in April. Lee Su-nam had not seen his older brother for almost seventy years.

LEE SU-NAM ATTENDEE OF FAMILY REUNION "You couldn't buy rice or food freely during the war even if you had money. Then someone told us there is food near Miari so we went, but we couldn't get any and he went to Uijeongbu, but he could not get back home because of the war."

Lee now knows his brother was caught and forced into the D.P.R.K. military.

LEE SU-NAM ATTENDEE OF FAMILY REUNION "We didn't know whether he was alive or dead at the end of the war and then after the war, we still didn't know if he was dead until now."

Their mother passed away still not knowing if her son was alive, but this year Lee Su-nam and another brother living in Seoul received the good news and an invitation to meet.

LEE SU-NAM ATTENDEE OF FAMILY REUNION "I started from Sokcho in the morning and crossed the military demarcation line, from there I was crying, tears welled up at the thought that I would meet him in a few hours after not seeing him for almost seventy years. He is in good health I was proud. I was grateful without any other thought. I was really grateful he was still alive. I think sometimes to myself about how they are doing. It is a lot of new pain for a separated family."

Lee Su-nam makes a cup of ginger tea, a gift from his older brother.

JACK BARTON SEOUL "Lee is one of the lucky ones who had a chance to briefly meet close relatives on the other side of the DMZ, but there are tens of thousands of Koreans divided by the war who have still not had a chance to meet relatives, who are still not even sure in most cases if they are still alive."

Lee Su-nam says he knows their pain.

LEE SU-NAM ATTENDEE OF FAMILY REUNION "I never thought I would get selected and I felt sorrow and sorry for the people who were not selected."

The Red Cross is now trying to arrange more reunions including potential video link-ups for large numbers of people, none of which sounds impossible or even improbably if the current détente continues. Jack Barton, CGTN, Seoul.