By Joint Press Corps,
Jung Sung-ki and Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporters
PYONGYANG _ President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il began their summit talks Wednesday morning in Pyongyang with a pleasant conversation.
Kim arrived at the entrance of the Baekhwawon State Guesthouse, the official accommodation of Roh and his official delegates and the summit venue, at 9:27 a.m. to greet Roh and first lady Kwon Yang-suk before their first round of talks began seven minutes later.
The first meeting was supposed to start at 10 a.m.
``Did you sleep well?'' the North Korean leader asked, shaking hands with President Roh who replied ``I had a good night's sleep. The accommodation is very satisfactory.''
The two leaders then moved to the conference hall talking about Roh's crossing of the border on foot Tuesday and recent flood damage in the North.
``I was very worried about (recent) flood damage in North Korea. On my way here, I found everything is in good order now,'' Roh said.
In reply, Kim said Roh may have experienced some inconvenience due to the North's expressway hit by floods in August.
Kim referred to Roh's symbolic crossing of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) on foot Tuesday morning.
``Former President Kim Dae-jung flew into North Korea. But you made an overland trip to the North across the MDL and that's very meaningful,'' Kim said.
Roh replied that he himself felt a deep impression while crossing the border.
The President became the first leader from either South Korea or North Korea to cross the MDL inside the inter-Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), that has divided the two Koreas for over half a century.
Roh called the line ``the forbidden line'' or ``barrier'' that has given the Korean people ``undue suffering'' and hampered the development of Korea.
Prior to the opening of the first summit, the two leaders posed for a photo with special delegates from the two sides.
Delegates who sat with Roh during the summit were Kwon O-kyu, deputy prime minister and minister of economy and finance; Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung; Kim Man-bok, director of the National Intelligence Service; and Baek Jong-chun, chief presidential secretary for foreign and security policy.
From the North Korean side, Kim Yang-gon, director of the United Front Department of North Korea's Workers' Party, attended the first session.
Unlike the first summit in 2000, reporters from the South were prohibited from covering the talks at the request of the North. As a result, exact details of talks between the two heads of state were not immediately available.
Cheong Wa Dae staff members were allowed to take a limited number of photos of the talks, but they couldn't record the discussions between President Roh and Chairman Kim, presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon said.
The leaders discussed a broad range of issues ranging from establishing a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula to South Korea's new engagement programs for North Korea and measures to reduce tensions between the two countries' militaries, sources said.
The two sides concluded their talks shortly before noon and resumed the meeting in the afternoon.
The 1950-53 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a permanent peace treaty, leaving the two Koreas technically still at war. The ceasefire treaty was signed at the end of the war by the U.S.-led United Nations, North Korea and China.
Thus, any deal on a peace treaty needs approval from parties to the truce.