Inter-Korean Summit
Encyclopedia
Inter-Korean Summits are meetings between the leaders of North Korea
and South Korea
. There have been two major meetings in the last decade, the first in 2000 and the second in 2007. The importance of these summits lies in the lack of formal communication between North and South Korea, which makes discussing political and economic issues difficult. The summits' agendas have included topics such as the ending of the 1953 war (currently there is an armistice in force), the massive deployment of troops at the DMZ
(approximately two million in total), the development of nuclear weapons by North Korea and human rights issues.
The first Summit was held June 13–15, 2000, in Pyongyang
. Kim Jong-il
, the North Korean leader, met with Kim Dae-jung, the South Korean President
at the time, who received the Nobel Peace Prize
for his efforts as this summit occurred seemingly as a result of his Sunshine Policy
, which South Korea maintained until President Lee Myun Bak adopted a more hardline position against North Korea. However, it was later discovered that South Korea had secretly paid the North Korean Government $500 million to attend. This news caused a major political scandal when it came out.
The second Summit was held October 2–4, 2007, also in Pyongyang, between Kim Jong-il and Roh Moo-hyun
, the former President of the Republic of Korea. This Summit has occurred in the light of the recent partially successful detonation of a nuclear device by North Korea, the development of which violated a range of guarantees, given in exchange for aid, that North Korea would cease nuclear weapon development. This Summit has probably occurred due to concerted political and economic pressure from a number of major states (The US, South Korea, Japan) and in particular from China, which is the nearest state North Korea has as an ally, and which provides North Korea with the oil and food supplies that keep the country from totally collapsing.
However, the South Korean Government paid North Korea approximately 500 million USD to attend the Summit. This payment was kept secret at the time and only emerged much later, causing a major political scandal called the Cash-for-summit scandal
.
In August 2000, after over 50 years of separation, some members of separated families and relatives in the North and South had a reunification meeting with each other in Pyongyang and Seoul
. Subsequent Inter-Korean summit talks were held and the June 15th North–South Joint Declaration was adopted.
On October 2, 2007, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun
walked across the Korean Demilitarized Zone
in travelling to Pyongyang for talks with Kim Jong-il. During the visit, there were meetings and discussions.
At the meetings and talks, the two sides have reaffirmed the spirit of the June 15 Joint Declaration and had discussions on various issues related to realizing the advancement of South-North relations, peace on the Korean Peninsula, common prosperity of the Korean people and unification of Korea. On October 4, 2007, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il signed the peace declaration. The document called for international talks to replace the armistice
which ended the Korean War
with a permanent peace treaty.
(matsutake
mushrooms) worth up to $2.6 million USD at their summit. A kilogram of these mushrooms, which is a Korean delicacy, can sell for as much as 600,000 won (USD $656) in South Korean stores. Kim Jong-il had 500 boxes of the mushrooms trucked to the border for President Roh to take back after their three-day summit. This was similar to the first summit when Kim Jong-il gave South Korea's then-president Kim Dae-jung three tonnes of the same mushrooms.
Roh Moo-hyun had first given Kim Jong-il a collection of South Korean films and television dramas which included his favorite actress Elizabeth Taylor
, normally banned in the North, as well as a painted folding screen and a fine tea set.
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. There have been two major meetings in the last decade, the first in 2000 and the second in 2007. The importance of these summits lies in the lack of formal communication between North and South Korea, which makes discussing political and economic issues difficult. The summits' agendas have included topics such as the ending of the 1953 war (currently there is an armistice in force), the massive deployment of troops at the DMZ
Korean Demilitarized Zone
The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and...
(approximately two million in total), the development of nuclear weapons by North Korea and human rights issues.
The first Summit was held June 13–15, 2000, in Pyongyang
Pyongyang
Pyongyang is the capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as North Korea, and the largest city in the country. Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River and, according to preliminary results from the 2008 population census, has a population of 3,255,388. The city was...
. Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il
Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, birth name Yuri Irsenovich Kim born 16 February 1941 or 16 February 1942 , is the Supreme Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea...
, the North Korean leader, met with Kim Dae-jung, the South Korean President
President of South Korea
The President of the Republic of Korea is, according to the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, chief executive of the government, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the head of state of the Republic of Korea...
at the time, who received the Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel.-Background:According to Nobel's will, the Peace Prize shall be awarded to the person who...
for his efforts as this summit occurred seemingly as a result of his Sunshine Policy
Sunshine policy
The Sunshine Policy was the foreign policy of South Korea towards North Korea until Lee Myung-bak's election to presidency in 2008. Since its articulation in 1998 by South Korean President Kim Dae Jung, the policy resulted in greater political contact between the two nations and some historical...
, which South Korea maintained until President Lee Myun Bak adopted a more hardline position against North Korea. However, it was later discovered that South Korea had secretly paid the North Korean Government $500 million to attend. This news caused a major political scandal when it came out.
The second Summit was held October 2–4, 2007, also in Pyongyang, between Kim Jong-il and Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun GOM GCB was the 16th President of South Korea .Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for student activists in South Korea. His electoral career later expanded to a focus on overcoming regionalism in South Korean politics, culminating in his...
, the former President of the Republic of Korea. This Summit has occurred in the light of the recent partially successful detonation of a nuclear device by North Korea, the development of which violated a range of guarantees, given in exchange for aid, that North Korea would cease nuclear weapon development. This Summit has probably occurred due to concerted political and economic pressure from a number of major states (The US, South Korea, Japan) and in particular from China, which is the nearest state North Korea has as an ally, and which provides North Korea with the oil and food supplies that keep the country from totally collapsing.
First Summit (June 13-15, 2000)
According to the North-South Joint Declaration arising from the first Inter-Korean summit, the North-South ministerial and military working-level talks were held four times in Pyongyang, Seoul and Jeju Island from July to December 2000. These also involved North-South Red Cross talks (three times) and working-level contacts for North and South economic cooperation (several times) continuing until March 2007. Kim Dae Jung, the South Korean president at the time, received the Nobel Peace Prize for successfully arranging the summit.However, the South Korean Government paid North Korea approximately 500 million USD to attend the Summit. This payment was kept secret at the time and only emerged much later, causing a major political scandal called the Cash-for-summit scandal
Cash-for-summit scandal
Cash-for-summit is the name of a political scandal that broke in February 2003 in South Korea and revolved around the secret payment by the Kim Dae-jung administration to North Korea of millions of dollars to secure the landmark June 2000 North-South summit between the two Koreas.In 2000, South...
.
In August 2000, after over 50 years of separation, some members of separated families and relatives in the North and South had a reunification meeting with each other in Pyongyang and Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
. Subsequent Inter-Korean summit talks were held and the June 15th North–South Joint Declaration was adopted.
Second Summit (October 2-4, 2007)
The June 15th North–South Joint Declaration that the two leaders signed during the first South-North summit stated that they would hold the second summit at an appropriate time. It was originally thought in 2000 that the second summit would be held in South Korea, but that was not to be the case in 2007.On October 2, 2007, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun
Roh Moo-hyun GOM GCB was the 16th President of South Korea .Roh's pre-presidential political career was focused on human rights advocacy for student activists in South Korea. His electoral career later expanded to a focus on overcoming regionalism in South Korean politics, culminating in his...
walked across the Korean Demilitarized Zone
Korean Demilitarized Zone
The Korean Demilitarized Zone is a strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula roughly in half, crossing the 38th parallel on an angle, with the west end of the DMZ lying south of the parallel and...
in travelling to Pyongyang for talks with Kim Jong-il. During the visit, there were meetings and discussions.
At the meetings and talks, the two sides have reaffirmed the spirit of the June 15 Joint Declaration and had discussions on various issues related to realizing the advancement of South-North relations, peace on the Korean Peninsula, common prosperity of the Korean people and unification of Korea. On October 4, 2007, South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il signed the peace declaration. The document called for international talks to replace the armistice
Armistice
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
which ended the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
with a permanent peace treaty.
Gifts
Kim Jong-il gave his presidential guest Roh Moo-hyun four tonnes of prized songiMatsutake
Matsutake is the common name for a highly sought after mycorrhizal mushroom that grows in Asia, Europe, and North America...
(matsutake
Matsutake
Matsutake is the common name for a highly sought after mycorrhizal mushroom that grows in Asia, Europe, and North America...
mushrooms) worth up to $2.6 million USD at their summit. A kilogram of these mushrooms, which is a Korean delicacy, can sell for as much as 600,000 won (USD $656) in South Korean stores. Kim Jong-il had 500 boxes of the mushrooms trucked to the border for President Roh to take back after their three-day summit. This was similar to the first summit when Kim Jong-il gave South Korea's then-president Kim Dae-jung three tonnes of the same mushrooms.
Roh Moo-hyun had first given Kim Jong-il a collection of South Korean films and television dramas which included his favorite actress Elizabeth Taylor
Elizabeth Taylor
Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...
, normally banned in the North, as well as a painted folding screen and a fine tea set.
Peace declaration (eight-point agreement)
- South and North Korea are to implement the June 15 Joint DeclarationJune 15th North-South Joint DeclarationThe June 15th North–South Joint Declaration was adopted between leaders of North and South Korea in June 2000 after various diplomatic meetings between the North and South...
- South and North Korea are to work for mutual respect and trust in order to overcome differences in ideology, system.
- South and North Korea are to ease military tensions, hold defense ministerial talks in November in Pyongyang to discuss ways of supporting inter-Korean economic cooperation and easing tension.
- The two sides agree on the need to end the current armistice and establish permanent peace.
- The two sides are to create a special peace zone around HaejuHaejuHaeju is a city located in South Hwanghae Province near Haeju Bay in North Korea. It is the administrative centre of South Hwanghae Province. As of 2000, the population of the city is estimated to be 236,000. At the beginning of 20th century, it became a strategic port in Sino-Korean trade...
in North Korea and nearby areas. - South and North Korea are to develop cooperation in the history, language, education, technology, culture, sports, and social sectors.
- South and North Korea are to actively push for humanitarian cooperation and expansion of the reunions of separated families.
- South and North Korea are to strengthen cooperation for national interest in the international stage and the benefits of Korean residents abroad.
Press releases
- Two Koreas to hold summit (CNN, Aug 7, 2007)
- New hope of inter-Korean detente (UPI, Aug 10, 2007)
- Inter-Korean summit (chinaview, Aug 8, 2007)
- Korean summit postponed by floods (CNN, Aug 18, 2007)