Crossing the Border (2007)
OCTOBER 2007:THE FIRST PRESIDENT TO CROSS THE MILITARY DEMARCATION LINE (MDL) FOR THE INTER-KOREAN SUMMIT
“We will commit ourselves to ensuring that
this step leads to peace and prosperity.”
In 2007, seven years after the 2000 Summit, the second Inter-Korean Summit was held in Pyeongyang. President Roh Moo-hyun and Chairman Kim Jong Il meet for the first time at the welcoming ceremony in front of the April 25 House of Culture Plaza, Pyeongyang.
On October 2, 2007, the whole world watched as President Roh Moo-hyun crossed the MDL for the second Inter-Korean Summit. President Roh became the first president to cross the forbidden line that evidences the division of the Korean Peninsula.
President Roh Moo-hyun and Chairman Kim Jong Il meet for the first time
at the welcoming ceremony in front of the April 25 House of Culture Plaza, Pyeongyang
President Roh Moo-hyun arriving in North Korea
President Roh Moo-hyun
and Chairman Kim Jong Il sitting
for the Inter-Korean Summit
Adoption and announcement
of the Declaration
on the Advancement
of South–North Korean Relations,
Peace, and Prosperity
The footsteps of peace
in three days
“I will do my best to fulfill this responsibility bestowed upon me based on an objective assessment of the circumstances that surround us today.”
President Roh Moo-hyun’s public message before his departure for Pyeongyang (October 2, 2007)
This step today will be followed by many others in days to come. The many steps will gradually erase this forbidden line. The wall will fall."
President Roh Moo-hyun immediately before crossing the MDL (October 2, 2007)
“Above all, this year’s summit once again reminded me of the importance of trust. I was able to reaffirm the fact that respecting each other and trying to understand each other from the other’s perspective is the royal road to bringing down the wall of distrust.”
President Roh Moo-hyun’s speech during the return banquet (October 3, 2007)
“I believe we achieved great outcomes, so much so that I could not fit them all in the bag that I had brought with me for the summit.”
President Roh Moo-hyun’s public message (October 4, 2007)
10.4
The Key Elements of the Declaration on the Advancement of South–North Korean Relations, Peace, and Prosperity
In the summit, President Roh Moo-hyun and Chairman of the National Defense Commission Kim Jong Il affirmed their shared understanding of the need to end the current armistice regime and build a permanent peace regime. To this end, the two leaders agreed to work toward having the leaders of the three or four parties directly concerned to convene on the Peninsula and declare an end to the Korean War. The two sides also agreed to carry out joint programs across various fields including politics, military, economy, society, and culture. The two leaders set forth these agreements in the Declaration on the Advancement of South–North Korean Relations, Peace, and Prosperity.
Significanceof the 2007 Summit
On the basis of the seven-year efforts after the June 15 Joint Declaration, the summit proposed a comprehensive vision aimed at overcoming the obstacles that the two sides faced in the past years and improve the inter-Korean relations. Therefore, the summit consolidated the basic framework of the inter-Korean relationship established by the 2000 Summit.
In particular, the 2007 Summit set off discussions on the issues regarding the military and the peace regime that the two Koreas had not been able to discuss in earnest.
The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and agreed to work together toward their goals. They also shared the understanding that the peace on the Korean Peninsula is the only way to achieve the common prosperity of the Korean people, as well as peace and prosperity of the entire Northeast Asian region. The summit also holds a historical significance—President Roh Moo-hyun became the first South Korean leader to cross the MDL on foot since the division of the Korean Peninsula. This gesture served as an international declaration of the hope of the Korean people to overcome the wall of division and conflict to achieve peace and prosperity.
