S-Korea President Roh Moo-hyun enters North

South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun has walked over the heavily fortified border into North Korea en route to a summit in Pyongyang.
His meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is only the second such meeting since the Korean war.

President Roh said a "peace settlement together with economic development" would be his aim.

The 1950-53 war between the two sides has never formally ended, but Seoul has promoted hopes for a permanent truce.

It says this summit, scheduled to last three days, may pave the way for that historic step.

President Roh left the South Korean capital, Seoul, in a motorcade along with business leaders, bureaucrats, poets and clerics.

The convoy stopped at the demilitarized zone to allow the president and his wife, to cross into the north on foot.

They stepped across a yellow plastic tape, printed with the words "peace" and "prosperity".

"I do hope after my crossing that more people will follow suit," said President Roh at the border.

"This line will gradually be erased and the wall will fall."

The motorcade will now continue to Pyongyang

The two states' only other summit was held in Pyongyang in 2000.

At the time, Kim Jong-il promised to make the return journey to Seoul, but that has never happened.

The first summit led to the former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung winning the Nobel Peace Prize for his "sunshine policy" of rapprochement with the North.

Since then, rail and road links have been reconnected and families divided between the two countries have been granted reunions, if only briefly.

But critics say the South's attempts at friendship and large donations of aid have failed to break down the impoverished North's isolationism or improve its human rights record.

Some observers doubt whether Kim Jong-il has any appetite for reconciliation, says the BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul.

They believe he prefers to keep his military threat to coax further economic aid and other concessions from the nervous South, our correspondent says.

BBC

Category:

News & Politics

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• S-Korea
• President
• Roh
• Moo-hyun
• enters
• North

[decoymiata]

SOME HUMANS ARE FUCKING STUPID TO BAD ITS ALWAYS THE LEADERS.IMAGINARY LINES CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT IMAGINARY LINES!

[TeamRedz]

one day... those roads will be open to the public... one day...

[ReadeRomke]

@U2bCadet, within the middle the better car brand! Mercedes!

[U2bCadet]

Awesome! They have Ford Excursions driving into North Korea after 3:20.

[takuhari]

^^ whgdkgo!

[bakaboy2000]

I don't know what to think about the fella in the pink suit. He sure is bucking the norm!

[111i1011]

@92af

One problem of English speaking people learning Korean

is the grammar and syntax.. the hangul

And the accent.

[bdsw30]

@destroyxeverything So? he wants that North Korean nookie! once you go NORTH, you never go back ;)

[britney4korea]

Koreans need to be proud of their own cars. The President of South Korea needs to have a Korean made car instead of using a Mercedes-Benz. I like Hyundai a lot and have a 2010 Hyundai Tuscon and it's awesome.  Also, Koreans need to learn how to stop littering and recycle their garbage more. The whole world needs to control the population and use proper birth control.