By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter
President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il will announce a joint declaration this morning on the outcome of their three-day summit, according to the delegation accompanying the South Korean head of state.
Roh, who has been in Pyongyang since Oct. 2 for the 2007 South-North Korean Summit, will return home today as originally scheduled after stopping at an inter-Korean industrial park in the North's border city of Gaeseong.
``The two heads of state decided to announce the results of their summit talks in the form of a joint declaration before a farewell luncheon on Oct. 4 at the latest,'' Roh's spokesman Cheon Ho-seon told reporters in the North Korean capital.
Coming about seven years after the June 15 Joint Declaration at the end of the first summit between Kim and Roh's predecessor, former President Kim Dae-jung, the joint declaration is expected to contain peace and economic cooperation as keywords.
However, it remained unclear until late in the night whether the joint document would address more sensitive issues such as denuclearization and humanitarian measures.
Cheon said the two leaders had substantive and frank discussions. ``We regard the talks as productive. President Roh also said he was satisfied with the result of the talks,'' he added. ``We have presented almost all of our agenda items in the summit talks.''
Working-level members of the two sides have begun fine-tuning the contents of the declaration and working out a draft based on what the two leaders have already agreed on.
Kim asked Roh to stay an extra day in Pyongyang in an abrupt proposal during the rare summit, in a token of willingness to try to achieve more fruitful results at the talks.
Kim made the request during a meet at the Baekhwawon State Guesthouse in the afternoon, following a lunch break after the first session in the morning.
Roh declined to give immediate answer and said he would have to discuss the proposal with his aides.
However, the envisioned extension of summit did not realize, as Kim later withdrew his request at the end of the session, saying that enough dialogue had taken place.
Some scheduled events on the second day were delayed or cancelled due to rain, including a tree-planting ceremony to commemorate the historical summit, which will take place today instead.
Roh watched the Arirang Festival, a gymnastics performance, as originally planned as the weather eased up just before the scheduled time. However, Kim who was expected to view the show with Roh, did not attend.