Climbing Over the Wall (2000)
JUNE 2000: THE FIRST SUMMIT ACROSS THE WALL OF DIVISION
"It is a pleasure. I have been looking forward to meeting you."
10:27 a.m., June 13, 2000, Sunan Airport, Pyeongyang. President Kim Dae-jung disembarked from the presidential plane to meet Chairman Kim Jong Il who was waiting at the end of the stairs. Chairman Kim Jong Il took the South Korean leader’s hands in greeting. “It is a pleasure. I have been looking forward to meeting you.” President Kim’s greeting was plain and concise. This moment marked the first meeting of the leaders of two Koreas since the division of the Korean Peninsula.
President Kim Dae-jung and First Lady Lee Hee-ho depart for Pyeongyang as the crowds look on.
President Kim Dae-jung landing in North Korea
President Kim Dae-jung
and Chairman Kim Jong Il sitting
for the Inter-Korean Summit
Announcement and
adoption of the June 15
South–North Joint Declaration
The two leaders
meeting in Pyeongyang
“We cannot expect to resolve the antipathy between the two countries for the last half a century with a single move. However, having a good start is equal to doing half of the work.”
President Kim Dae-jung’s message upon his arrival in Pyeongyang (June 13, 2000)
“As the saying goes, ‘when strengths and minds are united, even the will of the heaven can be bent.’ There is no limit to what we can achieve if we unite our strengths. Thus, I am confident that, one day, we will look back on this day when we are divided as a history that is past.”
President Kim Dae-jung’s speech at People’s Palace of Culture (June 13, 2000)
“I believe that a new day has dawned for us. I came back with the conviction that we can put an end to the division and hostility of the last 55 years and achieve reconciliation, cooperation, and unification.”
President Kim Dae-jung’s public message on the outcome of his visit to North Korea (June 15, 2000)
Despite the conflict and tension on the Peninsula, the South and the North did not cease their efforts for conciliation and cooperation to overcome the tragedies begotten by the Division. The efforts led to the first summit between the leaders of two Koreas since the Division. As a result of the inter-Korean summit, the two sides adopted the June 15th South-North Joint Declaration.
6.15
Key Elements and Significance of
the June 15 South–North Joint Declaration
The South and the North have agreed to resolve the question of reunification independently through the joint efforts of the Korean people, who are the masters of the countries.
To achieve reunification, we have agreed that there is a common element in the South’s concept of a confederation and the North’s formula for a loose form of federation.
The South and the North have agreed to promptly resolve humanitarian issues such as exchange visits by separated family members and relatives on the occasion of the August 15 National Liberation Day and the question of unswerving communists who are serving prison sentences in the South.
The South and the North have agreed to consolidate mutual trust by promoting the balanced development of the national economy through economic cooperation and by stimulating cooperation and exchanges in civic, cultural, sports, health, environmental, and all other fields.
The South and the North have agreed to hold a dialogue between relevant authorities in the near future to implement the aforementioned agreements expeditiously.
Significanceof the 2000 Summit
The significance of the 2000 Inter-Korean Summit stems from the very fact that the leaders of the two Koreas met for the first time since the Division. The summit led to the adoption of the June 15 South–Korea Joint Declaration, which became the milestone that signals the transition of the inter-Korean relations from the conflict and rivalry during the Cold War era to the joint efforts for peaceful coexistence.
President Kim Dae-jung and Chairman Kim Jong Il smiling brightly at the banquet
The summit made front-page news on major news outlets across the world
President Kim Dae-jung and Chairman Kim Jong Il hugging each other in farewell
Through the summit, the two leaders reaffirmed that they have no intention of invading the other Korea and agreed to refrain from any threats toward each other.
For the first time, the two sides also acknowledged that there is a common element in their plans for unification and agreed to bring their plans closer together through talks in the coming years. The two leaders further agreed that promoting exchange and cooperation between the South and the North is congruent to the growth and prosperity of the Korean people as a whole, which led to the revitalization of the efforts to reunite families separated by the Division, achievement of the inter-Korean economic cooperation, and implementation of social and cultural exchange programs between the two sides.
