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Korean leaders conclude summit after signing historic agreementNorth Korea's Kim Jong Il accepts invitation to Seoul
PYONGYANG, North Korea -- The leaders of North and South Korea concluded their summit on Thursday, after signing a historic agreement aimed at lifting some of the animosity and distrust that has characterized relations between the two countries since they split in 1948. South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, each pledging to work toward reunification of the divided peninsula, agreed to allow reunions of families separated for decades by the closed border, to hold a second summit meeting and to promote South Korean investment that the North desperately needs. A South Korean spokesman said that the North Korean leader accepted his southern counterpart's invitation to come to Seoul, South Korea, for what is sure to be another historic meeting.
The two leaders did not come to any agreement on two other major issues: the presence of nearly 40,000 U.S. troops in South Korea and North Korea's long-range and nuclear missile programs. Reunions are expected to take place around August 15 -- when both countries mark the liberation of Korea from Japanese occupation at the end of World War II -- but no further details were available. The two Kims also agreed to come to a quick resolution on the humanitarian issues, such as some long-term political prisoners. A triumphant summitAfter the signing and a champagne toast, the two Kims clasped hands and raised them above their heads in triumph. Kim Dae-jung praised his counterpart for helping him reach a "historic agreement" and said the two must "proceed together on a path of reconciliation and cooperation." Earlier, the South Korean president, speaking at a banquet he hosted in Pyongyang, declared the summit a success. "The Korean people are one; we have a common fate," he said. "There is nothing we cannot do if we make steady efforts with good faith and patience. Thus, before long we will be able to reach the goal of unification." The meeting was the first between leaders of the two countries since they split into a communist North and a capitalist South more than 50 years ago. Technically still at war following a 1953 cease-fire agreement that ended the open fighting of the Korean War, North and South have maintained armed borders and kept wary eyes on each other. Jocular Kim Jong Il opens second meetingThe second direct meeting between Kim Jong Il and Kim Dae-jung began much like the first -- with a surprise. A smiling and relaxed Kim Jong Il, long reported to be a recluse, was filmed by television reporters making small talk with Kim Dae-jung prior to their meeting -- and cracking jokes about being a "hermit.""The Western media wonder why I am leading a reclusive life," Kim Jong Ill said Wednesday, "and they say a recluse made his first public appearance" in Pyongyang on Tuesday by greeting Kim Dae-jung at the airport. "But I have visited China and Indonesia in the past, and also made many unofficial visits overseas. So, I don't understand why I was described as reclusive," he said. "Western news reports say President Kim's visit helped me out of seclusion," he said, causing his counterpart and the other North and South Korean officials sitting at the conference table to explode in laughter. Reunions are South's priorityDuring their meeting Wednesday, Kim Dae-jung urged the North Korean leader to agree to reunions of families separated during the Korean War. Kim Jong Il, who reporters said appeared knowledgeable, articulate and in charge, said he knew about the issue. Kim Dae-jung's immediate priority is to give some of the seven million South Koreans, many of them elderly and with relatives or ancestors in the North, the chance to visit family members they have not seen for nearly half a century. "The president said that he thinks the important thing is to reach agreements on matters that can easily be put into practice, though small, and to implement them one by one," South Korean presidential spokesman Park Joon-young said Wednesday. "We are entering a new phase," said Lee Jong-suk, senior research fellow at South Korea's Sejong Institute, and a member of Kim Dae-jung's entourage. "The phase of confrontation is over." North and South Korea remain technically at war decades after the 1950-53 Korean War. The nations exchanged heavy fire in the Yellow Sea almost a year, at which time a North Korean boat was sunk. It was the bloodiest battle between the Koreas since the end of the war. Kim Dae-jung, despite being scorned by his political opponents, refused to the let that incident alter his "sunshine policy" of engagement with the North, which had a history of terrorism, infiltration and provocations against the South. Representative offices discussedEarlier in the day, Kim Dae-jung and North Korean legislative leader Kim Young Nam discussed the possibility of opening representative offices in each other's countries. They also talked about ways of improving economic cooperation -- including road, rail and other social infrastructure projects, to help boost the North's nearly collapsed economy. The South reportedly wants to expand trade with the North, and take advantage of the North's labor force. South Korea agreed Wednesday to speed up fertilizer deliveries to famine-hit North Korea ahead of rice planting. Seoul's Agriculture Ministry said in a statement it would complete the delivery of 200,000 tons of fertilizer by June 20, about 10 days ahead of schedule. North Korea, which suffered a deadly famine in the late 1990s, relies on food aid from its traditional foes, South Korea, Japan and the United States. Investment guarantees and elimination of double taxation to spur South Korean spending in the North was also discussed. Living standards in North Korea are approximately one-tenth of the standards in the South. Seoul Bureau Chief Sohn Jie-Ae, Correspondent Mike Chinoy, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
RELATED STORIES: Koreas praised for historic first meeting, talks continue RELATED SITES: North Korea: Politics and Government | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Symbolism and atmosphere are important when dealing with North Korea, as CNN's Mike Chinoy reports.
CNN's Sohn Jie-ae has a video profile of South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. (June 13)
CNN's Mike Chinoy shows the events surrounding the first day of the summit. (June 13)
South Koreans are happy about the summit, as CNN's Sohn Jie-ae shows. (June 13)
