Inter-Korean summits
The Inter-Korean Summit is a meeting of heads of South and North Korea. The South Korean Government has consistently emphasised the need for an inter-Korean summit, which it recognises as instrumental in resolving the issue of the North Korean nuclear program and developing inter-Korean relations.
With the North Korean side expressing a favourable response, the two Koreas reached agreement on August 5 2007, on the second Inter-Korean Summit.
The Second Inter-Korean Summit were to be hold in Pyongyang on August 28-29. However, due to the recent floods in North Korea, the Summit has been rescheduled for October 2-4. At the first summit Inter-Korean Summit, North Korean leader Kim Jong Il met the then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung in June 2000 in Pyongyang.
Background
The June 15, 2000 Joint Declaration that the two leaders signed during the first South-North summit states that they would hold the second summit at an appropriate time. South Korea has consistently made it known that it would welcome the idea of holding an inter-Korean summit anywhere at any time. During a number of key meetings, including inter-Korean ministerial talks, the South Korean side canvassed North Korea on its position on a second inter-Korean summit, communicating to the North its willingness, if necessary, to dispatch a special envoy to Pyongyang. In response, the North Korean officials agreed in principle that a summit meeting should be held, but said that they would continue to review the possibility as they monitor developments surrounding the Korean Peninsula and inter-Korean relations. Moreover, in July 2007, South Korea suggested high-level contacts between Kim Man-Bok, Director of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS), and Kim Yang-gon, the director of North Korea’s United Front Department under the Party Central Committee to improve inter-Korean ties and discuss pending issues. In response, North Korea sent an official invitation on July 29 to the South Korean NIS Director Kim Man-Bok, asking him to secretly visit Pyongyang on August 2-3. He traveled to North Korea as a special presidential envoy twice and signed the agreement to hold the second South-North Korean summit.
The meaning
the 2nd Inter-Korean Summit Meeting would serve as a momentum by which the two Koreas' leaders could bring the solution of nuclear issue and qualitative development of the inter-Korean relations. With the progress in solving the nuclear issue, the circumstances surrounding the Korean peninsula is changing rapidly and inter-Korean cooperation and exchanges including reunion of separated families are being promoted actively. the 2nd Inter-Korean Summit Meeting would develop the quality of the inter-Korean relations and advance the solution of the nuclear issue, contributing to peace settlement on the Korean peninsula.
The First Summit (13-15 June 2000)
- The Inter-Korean Summit:Evaluation and Tasks Ahead
- The Inter-Korean Summit and Unification Formulae
- Landmark inter-Korean summit begins with unification pledge
See also
Press Release
- Two Koreas to hold summit(CNN,Aug 7, 2007
- Backgrounder: New hope of inter-Korean detente(UPI,Aug 10, 2007)
- Backgrounder: Inter-Korean summit(chinaview,Aug 8, 2007)
- Backgrounder: Korean summit postponed by floods(CNN,Aug 18, 2007)
References
- The Second Inter-Korean Summit: Four Arguments Against and Why They Could Be Wrong(quoted by nautilus.org)
- Ban Ki-moon welcomes forthcoming inter-Korean summit
- Inter-Korean Summit welcome
- Looking forward to new aspect of inter-Korean summit
External links
