Tete-a-tete talks held between Kim Jong Il and Kim Dae Jung(June.15.2000)
Pyongyang, June 15 (KCNA) -- Tete-a-tete talks between General Secretary Kim Jong Il and President Kim Dae Jung were held here on June 14.
The Pyongyang meeting, the first of its kind in more than half a century of territorial partition, marked an important occasion of opening a bright prospect of removing distrust and confrontation between the north and the south, promoting trust and reconciliation between them and bringing earlier the great unity of the fellow countrymen and reunification on the principle of national independence.
North-south joint declaration signed(June.15.2000)
Pyongyang, June 15 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il together with President Kim Dae Jung, signed a north-south joint declaration on June 14.
Present on the occasion were secretary Kim Yong Sun and first vice department director Rim Tong Ok of the WPK Central Committee.
Also on hand were Minister of Unification Pak Jae Gyu, Minister of Finance and Economy Ri Hon Jae, Minister of Culture and Tourism Pak Ji Won, special aide to the president Rim Tong Won and other members of the south side's delegation.
Kim Jong Il and Kim Dae Jung singed the texts of the declaration and exchanged them.
They drank toasts to the signing and had a souvenir picture taken.
The north-south joint declaration is a good fruition of the historic Pyongyang meeting reflecting the desire and will of all the fellow countrymen to achieve the sacred cause of reunification and build a prosperous and powerful country by the united efforts of the nation.
North-south joint declaration published(June.15.2000)
Pyongyang, June 15 (KCNA) -- General Secretary Kim Jong Il and President Kim Dae Jung signed the north-south joint declaration, which reads in full:
True to the noble will of all the fellow countrymen for the peaceful reunification of the country, Chairman Kim Jong Il of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and President Kim Dae Jung of the Republic of Korea had a historic meeting and summit in Pyongyang from June 13 to 15, 2000. The heads of the north and the south, considering that the recent meeting and summit, the first of their kind in history of division, are events of weighty importance in promoting mutual understanding, developing inter-Korean relations and achieving peaceful reunification, declare as follows:
1. The north and the south agreed to solve the question of the country's reunification independently by the concerted efforts of the Korean nation responsible for it.
2. The north and the south, recognizing that a proposal for federation of lower stage advanced by the north side and a proposal for confederation put forth by the south side for the reunification of the country have elements in common, agreed to work for the reunification in this direction in the future.
3. The north and the south agreed to settle humanitarian issues, including exchange of visiting groups of separated families and relatives and the issue of unconverted long-term prisoners, as early as possible on the occasion of August 15 this year.
4. The north and the south agreed to promote the balanced development of the national economy through economic cooperation and build mutual confidence by activating cooperation and exchanges in all fields, social, cultural, sports, public health, environmental and so on.
5. The north and the south agreed to hold dialogues between the authorities as soon as possible to implement the above-mentioned agreed points in the near future.
President Kim Dae Jung cordially invited Chairman Kim Jong Il of the DPRK National Defence Commission to visit Seoul and Chairman Kim Jong Il agreed to visit Seoul at an appropriate time in the future.
President Kim Dae Jung gives banquet(June.15.2000)
Pyongyang, June 15 (KCNA) -- President Kim Dae Jung on a visit to Pyongyang gave a banquet at the Mokran House on June 14 upon the conclusion of his itinerary.
Present on invitation was the great leader Kim Jong Il, General Secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea and Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
Among those present at the banquet were Kim Yong Nam, President of the presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Jo Myong Rok, first vice-chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission and director of the General Political Department of the Korean People's Army, Kim Kuk Thae and Kim Yong Sun, secretaries of the WPK Central Committee, Choe Thae Bok, chairman of the DPRK SPA, Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president, and Kim Yun Hyok, secretary, of the DPRK SPA presidium, Kim Yong Dae, chairman of the central committee of the Korean Social Democratic Party, Ryu Mi Yong, chairwoman of the central committee of the Chondoist Chongu Party, leading officials of the party and power organs, public organizations, ministries and national institutions and officials in the fields of science, education, culture and arts, public health and media.
Also present were Pak Jae Gyu, Unification Minister, Ri Hon Jae, Minister of Finance and Economy, Pak Ji Won, Minister of Culture and Tourism, and Rim Tong Won, special aide to the president, and other suite members and journalists.
When Kim Jong Il, conducted by Kim Dae Jung, entered the banquet hall, all the participants warmly welcomed him with stormy applausus.
Kim Dae Jung spoke at the banquet.
Kim Dae Jung in his speech extended deep thanks to Kim Jong Il, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, for the warm reception and hospitality accorded to him and his entourage and said that this meeting is a great auspicious event to be rejoiced over by the whole nation and the first historic inspiring action in 55 years of division.
He was deeply moved by the utmost filial piety with which Chairman Kim Jong Il of the DPRK National Defence Commission observed three years' mourning according to the traditional ethics of the Korean nation after the passing away of President Kim Il Sung, he said. He paid tribute to Kim Jong Il for the great efforts exerted for the preservation of political stability and the development of external relations and the economy.
He said the Korean nation has undergone many ordeals in history and it is high time the Korean nation stopped weeping.
He said he fully agreed with the statement made by Chairman Kim Jong Il during his recent Chinese visit that the issue of the Korean peninsula should be solved by the Korean people themselves. I am also sure that the destiny of our nation can be carved out by the Korean nation itself, he added.
He noted he was confident that the south-north summit talks were the starting-point for peace and reunification, the cherished desire of the 70 million Koreans.
President Kim Yong Nam spoke next.
He said the two days spent after the meeting, the first of its kind in 55 years, were meaningful days during which years of too long separation seemed to be forgotten during the too short meeting and talks because of compatriotic feelings.
President Kim Dae Jung had a historic meeting with leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang and held the north-south summit talks. The meeting and talks repeatedly confirmed that the people in the north and the south are of one and the same blood who should not live separated from each other and compatriots with whom no neighbors can stand comparison, he noted.
It is the first time that the supreme leaders of the north and the south met with each other and earnestly discussed ways of solving the national problem by the efforts of the compatriots and came to understand each other, Kim Yong Nam said, and went on:
This is something to be proud of as it showed a good sign of national unity to the fellow countrymen.
It is most rewarding for the politicians of Korea to devote themselves to the nation and our politicians should not consider national reunification as a job to be done in future but pool all their wisdom and energies to make reunification a work to be undertaken now.
He expressed the belief that the Pyongyang visit of Kim Dae Jung would help achieve the country's reunification, the cherished desire of the whole nation.
The banquet proceeded in a cordial atmosphere overflowing with compatriotic feelings.
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