Joint ceremony held in Pyongyang

By Yi Whan-woo

The two Koreas jointly celebrated the anniversary of the 2007 inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, Friday.

This is the first time the two sides have jointly celebrated the summit between then-President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il since it was held from Oct. 2 to 4, 2007.

The second received less attention than the groundbreaking inter-Korean summit in June 2000 between Roh's predecessor Kim Dae-jung and Kim Jong-il, partly because cross-border ties deteriorated under the past two conservative governments here.

Against this backdrop, the guests on Friday promised to bolster efforts for peace and prosperity during the celebrations at the People's Palace of Culture in Pyongyang.

"The history of failures to fully carry out the June and October declarations should not be repeated," the participants said in a joint letter, referring to agreements reached at the June 2000 and October 2007 summits. "We should continue to proceed with the era of peace and prosperity to decide our fate on our own while writing our new history."

They also reaffirmed a commitment to implement statements jointly announced by President Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong-un during their three summits this year.

Those meetings were aimed at freeing the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons and nuclear threats while expanding cross-border exchanges and cooperation.

Over 3,000 delegates from the two Koreas, including government officials, politicians and civic, religious and cultural leaders, took part in the 2007 summit anniversary.

From the North Korean side were Kim Yong-nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, and Ri Son-gwon, Chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country.

Kim Yong-nam called for all-out efforts to implement the summit deals reached this year, saying: "They are the immortal achievements that will last throughout the history of the peninsula."

Ri expressed hope for the resumption of a tour program to Mount Geumgang and the operation of a joint industrial park in Gaeseong, the two major inter-Korean projects suspended years ago because of chilled relations.

The 160-member South Korean delegation was led by Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon and ruling Democratic Party of Korea Chairman Lee Hae-chan.

Roh Geon-ho, the son of late President Roh Moo-hyun, also joined the Seoul delegation. Former President Roh killed himself in 2008 because of a corruption investigation.

Roh's widow Kwon Yang-sook did not come to Pyongyang because of a conflict with her schedule.

The participants had lunch at The Okryu-gwan, which is famous for its cold noodles called "Pyongyang naengmyeon." They later watched mass games.

The Ministry of Unification estimated South Korea may pay up to 280 million won ($250,000) to the North for the trip.

The ministry said the payment is not a violation of international sanctions on the North and that the government has been discussing the matter with the United States.