Backgrounder: Inter-Korean
Summit
Chronology of major events on
DPRK-S Korea relations since end of World War II
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South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun (3rd
R) and his wife Kwon Yang-Suk (4th L) pose with children as South Korean
residents greet them before their departure at a military check point in
Paju, north of Seoul, Oct.2, 2007. South Korean President Roh
Moo-hyun left Seoul early Tuesday for a three-day visit to Pyongyang.
(Xinhua/AFP Photo)
Photo Gallery>>> |
SEOUL, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Roh
Moo-hyun left here early Tuesday for a three-day visit to Pyongyang, where he
will meet with leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim
Jong Il.
The meeting will be the second inter-Korean summit
between South Korea and the DPRK since the Korean Peninsula was divided in 1945.
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South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun
waves from a car as South Korean residents greet him at a military check
point in Paju, north of Seoul, Oct. 2, 2007. Roh left Seoul
early Tuesday for a three-day visit to Pyongyang. (Xinhua/AFP
Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
In a telivised departure statement, Roh said his trip
will facilitate ties between the two sides.
"If the inter-Korean summit in 2000 can be said to
have paved a new path for South-North relations, the summit this time will be
able to remove stumbling blocks on the way and hasten the slow march," he said.
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South Korea's President Roh Moo-Hyun
(3rd R) and his wife Kwon Yang-Suk (4th R) look at ribbons wishing the
unification of the two Koreas at a military check point in Paju, north of
Seoul, Oct. 2, 2007. Roh left Seoul early Tuesday for a three-day
visit to Pyongyang. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
Photo Gallery>>> |
Roh vowed to put a new Korean Peninsula peace
arrangement to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War at the top of his summit
agenda.
"There will be various items on the agenda for
discussion, but,among other things, I intend to concentrate on making
substantive and concrete progress that will bring about a peace settlement
together with economic development," said the president.
South Korea and the DPRK are still at war technically
as the Korean War ended by a truce, not a peace treaty.
On inter-Korean economic cooperation, Roh said there are still " many obstacles along the road."
"Many of those barriers can be attributable not only to international factors but also to the gap in understanding between the South and North," he said. "I will marshal all my efforts to close the gap in understanding between the two Koreas."
The president said he will also work as hard as he can to hammer out a concrete agreement on such issues as building military trust and addressing humanitarian matters.
"I firmly believe that things will progress well. This is because the two Koreas are likely to remain on the same path if we take a far-sighted and broad stand," Roh stressed.
Roh's entourage includes 18 business leaders, 21 social and cultural dignitaries, and 50 journalists from South Korean media.
S Korean, DPRK leaders to seek
progress in peace, economic co-op
SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The top leaders of the south and
north of the Korean Peninsula will seek substantial progress in peace and
bilateral economic cooperation at an upcoming summit slated for Oct. 2-4 in
Pyongyang, analysts here said. Full story
Newspapers: Roh's overland trip to
boost peace process on Korean Peninsula
SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming inter-Korean summit
will facilitate the peace process on the Korean Peninsula and help South Korea
and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) realize common prosperity,
South Korea's major newspapers said Monday. Full story
Inter-Korea summit to focus on peace,
economic ties, reunification
PYONGYANG, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- The top leaders from the
north and south of the Korean Peninsula, who gather here on Tuesday for an
inter-Korea summit, are expected to discuss the establishment of a peace
mechanism, boosting economic cooperation and promoting reunification efforts on
the peninsula, analysts said. Full story
S Korean president to walk across
inter-Korean border
SEOUL, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Unification
Minister Lee Jae-joung said Sunday that South Korean President Roh Moo-hyunwill
walk across the inter-Korean border while traveling to Pyongyang on Tuesday. Full story
