By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
North Korea's younger generation is looking forward to benefiting from possible trickle-down effects of strengthened inter-Korean economic cooperation after the summit, a pro-North Korean newspaper published in Japan said Wednesday.
The Chosun Shinbo, published in both Japanese and Korean by the General Association of Korean Residents, said young people in Pyongyang have high expectations for the highest-level meeting between South and North Korea.
According to the paper, young North Koreans expressed hope that the summit can yield dramatic results in inter-Korean economic cooperation that can help get the troubled North Korean economy on the right track.
``If the North and South strengthen bilateral economic ties through the summit, both nations will be better off. The two Koreas will have chances of being an economic power as a consequence of economic cooperation,'' said a 20-something college student.
He said students of the two nations should work closely together in the area of information technology so that young North Koreans can benefit from the technology transfer. This will help them be prepared for reunification in the future, he added.
The paper said the young people's responses were focused on economic factors, while older people expressed wishes for reunification.
Another Pyongyang resident Kim Young-jin was waving plastic flowers with other citizens and chanting, ``Long Life'' Tuesday for the South Korean delegates when they arrived in the capital.
Kim said he could not stop crying during the welcoming ceremony.
The 80-something North Korean said tears rolled down his cheek at the thought that his long-time wish_ reunification_ was near.
``I am one of the pre-Korean War generation and had gone through the war ordeal. Since that time, I have kept cherishing hope in my heart that I want to live in peace with my neighbors in South Korea after the two Koreas become one,'' Kim said.
Another citizen Lee Hae-guem, who was assigned to clean up the road for the South Korean delegates, said she wished the road she cleaned could be linked to Jeju Island in the South so that South and North Koreans can freely visit each other.