pyongyang Leaders of Koreas Will Meet Frequently
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il Thursday agreed to hold summit talks frequently to discuss pending issues.
Cheong Wa Dae said the agreement virtually means that the two Koreas will regularize a summit.
The accord can be construed as systematizing the summit talks, said Shin Jong-dae, a professor of political science at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
``I think that although the agreement says the two Koreas will hold summit talks frequently, they are more likely to take place just once or twice a year, not that frequently,'' Shin told The Korea Times.
``The more meaningful change, in my opinion, is that the South and North agreed to hold prime ministerial-level talks in November in Seoul,'' he said.
The November talks are expected to be substantial for the discussion of inter-Korean issues, he added.
Professor Lee Moo-chul of the Seoul-based Institute for Far Eastern Studies said the two Koreas, through the agreement, had paved the way to hold talks on a regular basis.
``It may be difficult for Kim Jong-il to come to the South for future meetings for several reasons such as security problems, but the accord can help propel the two Koreas to hold regular meetings at a lower level,'' he said.
The presidential office said the inter-Korean summit is the mainspring of improving inter-Korean relations and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula.
``North Korea asked not to use the term `regular meeting' because the inter-Korean summit is not a nation-to-nation meeting. But they actually agreed to hold summit talks on a regular basis.''