Talks between South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong il are expected to expand inter-Korean economic cooperation, and mark a thaw in the two countries' relations, which have led to economic benefits for the impoverished Communist North.
"Preparations for a unified economic zone, as well as the formation of a common economic bloc, on the Korean Peninsula will be the most important factors for inter-Korean peace," the agency quoted Roh Moo-hyun as saying.
Delegations from North and South Korea are meeting Tuesday in the North Korean border city of Kaesong to discuss the agenda for the summit. The working-level talks will also discuss technical issues connected with the summit in Pyongyang, including transport, communications, media, and security.
The two Koreas agreed that a group of 202 South Korean delegates, including 150 officials and 50 journalists, will attend the meeting, a slightly larger delegation than the 180-member group of seven years ago, when then President Kim Dae-jung visited Pyongyang for the first-ever summit with the reclusive North Korean leader.
The new summit comes after North Korea shut down its only operating nuclear reactor, a source of weapons-grade plutonium, last month in exchange for economic and diplomatic incentives under a February six-nation deal with the United States, South Korea, China, Russia, and Japan.
Yonhap earlier reported that South Korea had rescheduled its annual military exercises planned for late August, to avoid any possible source of tension in advance of the summit.
