South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of his talks with Kim Jong Il, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), his spokesman said in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
Cheon Ho-seon, the spokesman, also told reporters that the two sides were drafting a joint declaration which is going to be released before Kim's farewell luncheon for Roh around noon Thursday.
"The agreement was reached during the two leaders' afternoon talks held from 2:45 p.m. (0545 GMT)to 4:25 p.m. (0725 GMT)," he said.
According to South Korean officials, Kim Jong Il said after the summit meeting on Wednesday that his discussions with Roh had been adequate and the summit would end as planned.
During their two rounds of talks during the day, Kim and Roh engaged in in-depth discussions on measures to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula and cross-border economic cooperation.
"We didn't reach consensus on everything. There were parts on which our perceptions coincided, and there were other parts (on which the perceptions didn't coincide)," Roh said at a luncheon with the South Korean delegation, according to pool video relayed to Seoul.
"However, what I clearly confirmed is that (Kim) has a firm will about peace and there was consensus that there should be an agreement this time that presents a future direction about peace," Roh said.
The summit is the second of its kind since the peninsula was divided more than half a century ago. Roh's predecessor, Kim Dae-jung, traveled to the DPRK for the first inter-Korean summit in June 2000.
Growing economic cooperation has been a highlight of the warming relations between the North and South since the first inter-Korean summit. Joint projects have been launched in tourism, industry and other fields, including tours of Mt. Kumgang and the industrial zone in the North's border city of Kaesong.
Roh and Kim will plant a tree at the central arboretum of Pyongyang later in the day to memorize the second inter-Korean summit and watch a mass dance and musical spectacle, the Arirang. The performance features synchronized maneuvers by thousands of dancers and giant flip-card mosaic.
South Korean First Lady Kwon Yang-suk visited a state museum and a medical clinic in Pyongyang on Wednesday.
The South Korean president is also scheduled to visit some industrial sites Thursday before wrapping up his three-day visit.
Roh, who traveled some 200 km overland to Pyongyang Tuesday and was greeted by Kim at a festive ceremony upon arrival, met the DPRK's top legislator, Kim Yong Nam, on Tuesday afternoon.
Source: Xinhua
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