President Roh prefers more face-to-face meetings with Kim Jong-il in summit

Posted on : 2007-08-18 10:08 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Inter-Korean economic development projects will also be at forefront of agenda

With the inter-Korean summit less than two weeks away, South and North Korea are busy making the schedule, which will include a generous amount of time for face-to-face dialogues between the two leaders, a South Korean senior government official said. The agenda for the second summit in history will focus on building inter-Korean economic cooperation, aimed at the eventual development of an inter-Korean economic community.

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il will meet from August 28-30 in Pyongyang, the first such meeting since the first historic summit which took place in 2000.

“Our position is that it’s desirable for the two leaders to have more meetings to discuss all of the items on the agenda. So, we are arranging the schedule so that the two leaders can spend more time during the summit,” the official said on August 17.

The official indicated that the two leaders may spend more time in face-to-face dialogues, compared to the first summit in 2000. At the time of that meeting, then-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung and North Korea’s Kim spent a total of 11 hours in face-to-face meetings, which took place in vehicles, at the summit itself and via lunches and dinners.

Regarding inter-Korean economic cooperation projects, the official said, “During the upcoming summit, both sides will discuss further developments for existing projects, such as the Kaesong industrial complex and light industry. We are also trying to discuss the formation of an inter-Korean economic community and will put it on the summit agenda.”

Asked about the possibility of arms control talks between the two Koreas, the official said, “Trust regarding military build-up on the Korean peninsula should come first. And then, I think talks on arms control could be included.”

The presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, or the Blue House, announced yesterday that it has selected 19 advisers for the second inter-Korean summit, including three former unification ministers: Lim Dong-won, Park Jae-kyu and Chung Se-hyun. Kang Man-gil, an advisor for the association of historians between the two Koreas, will also be in attendance.

Cheon Ho-seon, a presidential spokesman, said, “Early next week, President Roh Moo-hyun will meet the advisers to listen to their opinions.”

President Roh will also meet next week with approximately 10 business executives, who are either doing business in the Kaesong industrial zone or planning do so in the future, to discuss the formation of an inter-Korean economic community, the spokesman said.

Most viewed articles