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North, South Korean leaders end summit with hug at airport
Kim Dae-jung returns to Seoul with historic pact
PYONGYANG, North Korea -- With the stroke of a pen, North and South Korean leaders have signaled a historic turning point on the Korean Peninsula, and raised hopes for the nations' eventual reunification. With the signing of the historic agreement achieved, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung returned to Seoul from the North Korean capital on Thursday. In Seoul, residents have been in a near religious fervor since the inter-Korean summit began. Kim Dae-jung became the first South Korean leader to visit the Communist North. The Koreas remain technically at war, and they have maintained heavily armed borders since a cease-fire agreement in 1953 ended the fighting. A summit had been planned for 1994, but then North Korean leader Kim Il Sung died weeks before the meeting.
The historic three-day summit ended the way it began -- full of symbolism and fanfare. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, who surprised everyone by greeting Kim Dae-jung at the airport Tuesday, saw his guest off. Kim Jong Il walked behind the South Korean president in Pyongyang, as they passed an honor guard and thousands of onlookers dressed in traditional Korean attire and waving pink paper flowers. Security guards had to push back the well-wishers. As they walked, Kim Jong Il clapped his hands. Two children presented Kim Dae-jung and his wife with kisses and gifts. As they reached the steps to the plane, Kim Jong Il hugged the South Korean president. Leaders applaud each otherIn their final gestures to each other, Kim Jong Il, standing at the base of the plane's steps, and Kim Dae-jung, about to enter the jet, waved and then applauded each other. Kim Jong Il then watched as the plane taxied along the tarmac. The emotional farewell capped a summit full of optimism and euphoria, and rich with symbolism. Kim Jong Il heightened the excitement on Tuesday when he greeted Kim Dae-jung with a two-handed handshake -- which is a sign of friendship and respect in Korea. That gesture increased the hope of many South Koreans, despite Kim Dae-jung's pre-summit cautions against a miracle, that the easing of tension on the Korean Peninsula could become a reality. A day later, the leaders signed the landmark agreement committing the Koreas to work toward reunification, to allow the reunions of families separated during the three-year Korean War, and to improve economic cooperation between the nations. While the joint communique was short of specifics, it signaled that the leaders hoped to put relations on the Korean Peninsula on an even footing. Earlier Thursday, South Korean officials outlined plans for implementing that historic agreement -- including the creation of a military hotline and building a railway crossing at the nations' heavily patrolled border. "To prevent any unexpected military incident, we will push for the establishment of a direct military hotline," South Korea announced. The nations exchanged heavy fire in the Yellow Sea almost a year ago, when 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 let that incident alter his "sunshine policy" of engagement with the North, which had a history of terrorism, infiltration and provocations against the South. Family reunions to occur graduallySouth Korea's plan also calls for the gradual reunion of tens of thousands of families. The first reunions are expected to take place around August 15, when the Koreas commemorate their liberation from Japanese occupation at the end of World War II. "The process should not be a one-time deal. Rather, it must be institutionalized so that ultimately, all separated family members will be reunited," South Korea announced. South Korean television on Thursday showed footage of Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong Il sitting side-by-side during lunch. The atmosphere appeared to be cordial, and the South Koreans thanked the North's leaders for being gracious hosts. Other images that will be remembered from the summit, touted as a success by both sides, include the two leaders raising champagne glasses, Kim Jong Il joking about his international image as a hermit, shared smiles, a red-carpet welcome and the two-handed handshake. Following the agreement's signing and celebratory champagne toast, Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong Il clasped their hands, and raised them above their heads in friendship and triumph. Kim Jong Il also agreed to visit Seoul for a reciprocal summit. 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." However, Kim Jong Il and Kim Dae-jung did not reach a consensus on two other major issues: Withdrawal of nearly 40,000 U.S. troops in South Korea, and North Korea's long- range and nuclear missile programs. Also Wednesday, Kim Dae-jung and North Korean legislative leader Kim Young Nam discussed the possibility of opening representative offices in each other's countries, and about improving economic cooperation. Japan, China hail agreementJapanese officials on Thursday applauded the agreement, and said they hoped the pact would help improve relations between Tokyo and North Korea. "The agreement constitutes a major change towards peace," Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori said in a statement. "In the meantime, we hope that it will have a favorable effect on normalization of talks between Japan and North Korea," Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono added. In China, Beijing hailed the summit's success, and urged North and South Korean officials to move toward reunification through compromise and cooperation. "We hope the two sides will continually enhance mutual respect in a spirit of compromise and cooperation, and strengthen exchanges and cooperation in every field in order to create favorable conditions to realize final, peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said. "The Chinese side believes the Pyongyang summit has produced important results, and is a major event of historical significance. It has made a valuable contribution to maintaining Korean peace and stability," he said. Seoul Bureau Chief Sohn Jie-Ae, Correspondent Mike Chinoy, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
RELATED STORIES: Korean summit ends; South unveils details to enact agreement 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)
