By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Reporters are always hungry for quotes and President Roh Moo-hyun quite often gives them a full-blown course meal. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has never been known to be shy in speaking his mind either.
The two straight-talking Korean leaders produced a healthy dose of verbal material for journalists during their three-day talks in Pyongyang, which ended Thursday with a joint declaration calling for a peace deal and closer economic ties on the Korean Peninsula.
The statement calls for a meeting to discuss a formal peace treaty between the two countries, which remain technically at war, and agrees to start a cross-border cargo rail service for the first time since 1948.
Roh once again displayed his crowd-pleasing flair during the formal talks, while his counterpart Kim matched Roh with his unpredictability and sarcastic humor.
The president gave a massive package of gifts to his North Korean counterpart ahead of Wednesday's talks at Pyongyang's Baekhwan State Guest House, which included expensive lacquer-ware, ceramic works and a stack of DVDs featuring South Korean movies and television dramas.
Roh didn't miss the opportunity to boast about the South's bullish movie industry, delivering compliments on the visual qualities of the films which drew a simple ``thank you'' from the host.
Kim had prepared a surprise of his own. At the start of the second session of the talks, Kim, clearly in a celebratory mood, sprung an offer to Roh to stay an extra day in Pyongyang.
The wide-eyed Roh, clearly taken off guard, wasn't ready to respond immediately to the invitation and said he will consult the matter with his political and protocol advisers.
Kim didn't miss the moment's chance to squeeze in this playful taunt, ``Can't the president make the decision?'' It's hard to tell whether Kim was serious or not in extending the three-day talks into a four-day schedule, and we will never know as Roh later turned down the offer and returned to Seoul Thursday as scheduled.
The conversation between the two leaders was not always about playful banter as they shared their ideas about reducing political tension and strengthening cooperation in an intense exchange that lasted for more than two hours.
After the talks, Roh told the South Korean reporters that his discussions with Kim were ``candid and frank.'' He also admitted there were several disagreements between the two men, mentioning a ``wall of distrust'' between the two countries on some issues.
``We did not share the same perception on every issue, but I am confident that Kim has a strong commitment towards achieving peace on the peninsula,'' Roh told reporters.
``I felt a wall that was hard to get over. Things that the South presents with trust could be taken by the North with suspicion. This shows that we need to put in a lot more effort to eliminate this wall of distrust.''
For example, Roh elaborated that North Korean officials have expressed dissatisfaction over the development pace of the joint industrial project between the two countries in the Gaeseong Industrial Complex. The South Korean government prides the project as an ideal blending of South Korean capital and North Korean labor.
``When the South uses the words `reform' and `openness,' it could be taken by North Koreans with distrust. It is a matter I talked about with Chairman Kim (Jong-il) and Supreme Assembly Chairman Kim Yong-nam,'' said Roh.
``When we called Gaeseong as an example for reform and openness, we may have been inconsiderate of how North Koreans will take it. We need to be more respectful of the North's political system,'' he said.
Putting aside the minor differences, the two leaders found enough common ground to produce the joint peace declaration that could mark a turning point in the difficult relationship between the two countries.
Roh and Kim were not the only ones doing the talking as politicians, businessmen and social leaders from both countries shared ideas about cooperation in various fields.
South Korean sports officials came close on agreeing with their North Korean counterparts on sending an unified team to next year's Beijing Olympics.
Delegates from media outlets talked about allowing South Korean correspondents in Pyongyang and having North Korean stringers in Seoul.
Women leaders talked about establishing a joint network for childcare between the two countries.
One of the more interesting ideas were suggested by culture officials, who suggested using North Korean pine trees in the rebuilding project of Seoul's Gyeonbok Palace.
Due to destruction in the Korean War (1950-1953) and deforestation from the rapid industrialization in the past four decades, there are not many pine trees in South Korea old and big enough to use for the palace building and government officials have been mulling importing the wood from China.