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Tuesday, June 13, 2000
Web posted at: 1:30 p.m. EDT

(CNN) – A landmark meeting between the leaders of North and South Korea took place for the first time in 50 years June 13, encouraging hopes for peace on the Korean Peninsula. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il greeted his South Korean counterpart, Kim Dae-jung, at the airport in Pyongyang, North Korea. During the three day summit, the leaders will discuss economic cooperation, family reunions and the possibility of ending the cold war that has continued since open fighting stopped in 1953.

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North and South Korea

Sohn Jie-Ae has been CNN’s Seoul bureau chief and correspondent since July 1995. She has provided continuous reports on the Korean peninsula's North-South border tensions, including intrusions into the de-militarized zone. Prior to joining CNN, Sohn was a New York Times correspondent for three years.

Chat Moderator: Thank you for joining us today, Sohn Jie-Ae, and welcome.

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Sohn Jie-Ae: Hello! It's nice to be here.

Chat Moderator: Please bring us up-to-date on the North and South Korea summit.

Sohn Jie-Ae: Leaders of South and North Korea met for the first time since the country was divided 55 years ago, before the Korean War, which started exactly 50 years ago this month. It was a very emotional day here in South Korea.

South Koreans got to see what they hoped was the first real chance at achieving some real peace on the Korean peninsula. South and North Korea are technically at war, because a peace treaty was never signed. They've maintained very hostile relationships ever since. So, it was a very symbolic and a very significant thing for South Koreans to see their leader and the North Korean leader shake hands, walk down a carpeted airport together, get in the same car, to actually sit down to talk to each other.

Question from JrTyD: What is at stake for either side in this summit?

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Sohn Jie-Ae: There is a lot at stake because relationships between the two Koreas have been so bad over the last 50 years. What is at stake is not that it could get any worse, but the danger or the concern that it would not get better at the pace that Koreans would want.

Question from WisOldMan: What are the chances that the North Koreans and the South Koreans can agree to disagree, and end the hate and hostilities? Or is it impossible so long as one is capitalist, the other communist?

Sohn Jie-Ae: That is the way that the South Korean president wants to take this relationship. That is one of his goals, that South Korea would try to assure North Korea that the South is not interested in trying to bring down the North Korean communist government, but that it does want to co-exist in a peaceful environment. As we've seen with China, it's possible to peacefully co-exist in this world without sharing a border with a million soldiers on each side. So, South Korea and North Korea are in the process of trying to find a way to co-exist.

Question from WisOldMan: What is China’s role in these meetings, and what is the U.S. role?

Sohn Jie-Ae: Taking a broader perspective, China and the U.S. are not present at these talks. But their presence is felt in other ways. These two countries do play a significant role. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il visited Beijing and talked with the Beijing leaders just shortly before the summit was to take place. Many believe that was a visit to symbolically brief the Beijing government on the upcoming meeting and to sort of receive their blessing, which they did. China has always said that they are willing and will try to play a constructive role in insuring that there is peace in this part of the world.

The South Korean president met with the U.S. President, Bill Clinton, just a few days before the summit, when the two leaders were in Tokyo for the former prime minister's funeral. The two leaders got to talk briefly about the upcoming summit. The U.S. is closely watching the procedures. It has 37,000 troops in South Korea, to guard against any North Korean provocation. The U.S. is also interested in getting South Korea's cooperation in dealing with North Korea on its missile program and nuclear program.

Question from WisOldMan: Is there any chance at all that South Korea and North Korea would ever share a government again?

Sohn Jie-Ae: That is the big question. It's certainly a question that cannot be answered right now, because the two governments are so far apart. But the people, the Korean people, share the same culture. Although they have a different modern history, they have over 1,000 years of past history that they share. So, people are saying that it's not an improbable future and, with the start of something like today, the summit, it is maybe something they see now in the future.

Chat Moderator: Do you have any final thoughts to share with us?

Sohn Jie-Ae: It's difficult not to exaggerate about how symbolic the meeting itself was today. South and North Korea have had so many problems, even in the best of times, that to actually see the leaders together was quite a shock for many. It did sort of rekindle the hope for possible unification for many Koreans. It's something that we will have to closely watch.

Chat Moderator: Thank you for joining us today.

Sohn Jie-Ae: It was a pleasure to be here!