Leaders to Discuss Peace, Economy, Unification
US Wants Summit Not to Detract From Denuclearization Talks
By Yoon Won-sup With Kim Yon-se in Pyongyang
Staff Reporters
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il greeted President Roh Moo-hyun in a surprise appearance on a red carpet in front of a cultural center in Pyongyang on Tuesday.
The leaders inspected a military honor guard with thousands of cheering residents at the April 25 House of Culture, which is the North's largest art facility often used for large-scale gatherings.
Kim, dressed in his trademark military-style khaki suit, had also made a surprise appearance when greeting former President Kim Dae-jung at Sunan Airport, Pyongyang in June 2000 at the first inter-Korean summit. Kim Jong-il's personal greeting is considered significant because he has only offered it to only Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Vladimir Putin and former Chinese President Jiang Zemin so far.
Roh arrived in Pyongyang three and half hours after he left Cheong Wa Dae at 8 a.m. with the entourage.
Roh and Kim looked reserved in their first meeting compared with a meeting between former President Kim and the North Korean leader who emotionally hugged each other several times. Roh and Kim just shook hands in a warm but business-style greeting.
Roh also met Kim Yong-nam, North Korea's No. 2 at the Mansudae Assembly Hall after a luncheon with South Korean delegates at the Baekhwawon State Guest House, the official accommodation for the President and the first lady.
At a dinner hosted by Kim, President Roh said the future of inter-Korean relations relied on mutual trust. ``The important thing is trust in each other. We've worked hard to maintain inter-Korean channels of dialogue and cooperation.''
In response, Kim Yong-nam said that the two Koreas are faced with a ``sacred'' task to further develop bilateral relations. ``Inter-Korean relations should be further developed to pave the way for national unification. It's our sacred task,'' he said in his welcoming speech.
Kim Jong-il was absent from the event.
On the 200-kilometer journey to Pyongyang from Seoul by road, Roh and first lady Kwon Yang-suk walked across the inter-Korean border line, called the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) at 9 a.m. Former President Kim flew to Pyongyang for the first summit in 2000.
``I cannot see any line, but this invisible line has separated the Korean people for the past half century, serving as a barrier between us,'' Roh said at the border line. ``Now I am walking across this forbidden line as the President. After my return from the North, many more people will be able to travel back and forth between the two Koreas.''
Roh became the first South Korean head of state to cross the border on foot and the event was broadcast live around the world.
In a televised departure speech in Seoul, Roh pledged to make concrete achievements during the three-day summit.
``I intend to concentrate on making substantive and concrete progress that will promote peace and deepen economic cooperation,'' he said. ``The 2000 summit paved a new path for South-North relations and the second summit will be able to remove stumbling blocks on the way and hasten the slow march.''
Today, Roh will meet twice with Kim on issues such as peace, reconciliation and unification on the Korean Peninsula in order to conclude a joint statement.
One of main agenda items is the South's participation in massive infrastructure and industrial development projects in the North. Roh may suggest places such as Haeju, Hwanghae Province to set up industrial parks in North Korea similar to the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, which he will tour Thursday on his way back to Seoul.
The summit drew welcoming statements from Washington, Tokyo and other countries. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura voiced hope that a historic summit between the two Koreas will help to foster reconciliation and progress in multilateral talks on a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.
The U.S. State Department, reaffirming Washington's support for inter-Korean dialogue Monday, said it does not expect this week's South-North summit to detract from the six-party denuclearization negotiations.