hankyoreh

South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, accompanied by a 300-member entourage, will Tuesday embark on a three-day visit to North Korea for the second inter-Korean summit amid an upbeat mood on North Korea's nuclear disarmament and a permanent peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula.

Roh, who has vowed to put a new Korean Peninsula peace arrangement to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War at the top of his summit agenda, will become the first South Korean head of state to travel overland to visit North Korea. Roh's predecessor, Kim Dae-Jung, travelled to the North by air for the first inter-Korean summit in June 2000.

Roh will unveil a message to the nation Tuesday morning before departing for Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, by presidential sedan via the western section of the demilitarized zone (DMZ).

As the presidential motorcade approaches the heavily fortified inter-Korean border line, formally called the military demarcation line (MDL), Roh, first lady Kwon Yang-suk and the South's 13 official delegates will step out of their cars and cross the border on foot, a symbolic gesture intended to demonstrate their enthusiasm towards permanent peace on the peninsula. The MDL which runs along the middle of the DMZ is also referred to as the armistice line, after the agreement that ended the Korean War.

According to presidential officials, Roh will walk about 30 to 40 meters across the MDL in order to emphasize the historic significance of the first overland cross-border trip by South Korean head of state. The historic sight of Roh's cross-border walk will be broadcast live around the world, they said, adding the president will unveil a message of peace prior to walking across the border.

The president's motorcade will then travel for about three hours on the North's expressway linking its border town of Kaesong to Pyongyang. Pundits have speculated that North Korean leader Kim Jong-il may greet Roh at the entrance of Pyongyang.

But Roh's spokesman Cheon Ho-seon told reporters that Kim Yong-nam, North Korea's titular head of state who holds the post of chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, will greet Roh on the outskirts of Pyongyang.

Around noon, Roh and his entourage will enter downtown Pyongyang, with a warm welcome expected from a large number of citizens lining the streets, before arriving at the Paekhwawon State Guest House, the official accommodation for the president and the first lady.

Roh will then visit the Mansudae Assembly Hall in the afternoon to hold talks with Kim Yong-nam.

Cheon said it still remains unclear whether North Korean leader Kim would hold talks with Roh Tuesday afternoon.

On Wednesday, Roh and North Korean leader Kim are expected to hold two rounds of summit talks for in-depth discussions on inter-Korean co-prosperity, peace, reconciliation and unification.

Specifically, they are expected to reach agreements on the South's participation in massive infrastructure and industrial development projects in the North. Depending on the results of the talks, the two leaders may adopt a joint statement.

Between the talks, Roh and Kim Jong-il may watch North Korea's controversial Arirang performance together for about one and a half hours in the Rungrado May Day Stadium, the world's largest football stadium capable of seating over 150,000.

Arirang has been at the center of heated debate in the South, as some sections of the mass gymnastics and artistic performance are said to feature pro-communist propaganda slogans, praise of communist ideology and idolization of the North's deceased founder Kim Il-sung and his son and incumbent leader Kim Jong-il.

Roh will then host a dinner for his North Korean counterpart and the North's leading figures.

On Thursday, Roh's itinerary will consist mainly of visits to the North's major industrial facilities, including the West Sea Barrage and Pyeonghwa (peace) Motors' plant, both located in Nampo on the outskirts of Pyongyang. The West Sea Barrage is an 8-kilometer long dam that stretches across the mouth of the Taedong River, where it flows into the West Sea. Pyeonghwa Motors, an inter-Korean joint venture automaker with ties to the Unification Church, opened North Korea's first car-assembly plant in 2002.

Roh and Kim Jong-il may meet again at a farewell luncheon, according to the officials. On his way home, Roh will visit the joint South-North industrial complex in Kaesong.

SEOUL, Oct. 1 (Yonhap)