Go to: 1998-2000 Sunshine and a summit Former dissident Kim Dae-jung was elected president of South Korea in 1998 promising economic reforms, more democracy and a conciliatory line with North Korea. His "sunshine policy" survived despite the firing of a North Korean missile over the Japanese island of Honshu and a skirmish between North and South Korean warships in June 1999. A summit between South Korea's Kim and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in June 2000 signaled a new era in Korean political relations. In August, the first temporary reunions were held for some of the hundreds of thousands of families separated since the war. In September, the two countries agreed to reconnect a railroad line between Seoul and Pyongyang. Ministerial-level talks were also held, including a meeting of defense chiefs.