Broad Goals for Summit

Principles of North-South Accord to Be Focus

President Kim Dae-jung said Thursday that the second inter-Korean summit meeting will focus on establishing principles for exchanges and cooperation between Seoul and Pyongyang that will benefit both sides.

After receiving a report from Unification Minister Park Jae-kyu on the government's policy toward North Korea this year, Mr. Kim said that although much was gained from the first inter-Korean summit meeting, some say that South Korea has only given to the North without getting anything back.

"Such views come from those who do not understand" the process, Mr. Kim said.

Mr. Park told the president that the ministry's top priority for this year is to establish a permanent peace regime on the peninsula, including regularizing inter-Korean summits.

Explaining that the Seoul government's immediate aim is not unification but easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and promoting cooperation and exchanges at the same time, the president emphasized the importance of "security" until peace is fully achieved.

Concerning the proposed revision of the anti-communist National Security Law, which prohibits unauthorized contact with the North, Mr. Kim said, "The revision has nothing to do with Kim Jong-il's visit."

Touching on his first meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush on March 8 in Washington, Mr. Kim said that they will further deepen their relations.

"However, it is our policy that South and North Korea are the key players in Korean issues," the president insisted.

Officials said that the outcome of the meeting could influence the timing of a visit to Seoul by the North Korean leader.

Mr. Park said that he expects it will take three months to prepare for that visit.

The Unification Ministry's report said that a peace regime would be led by the two Koreas and supported by the United States and China.

Analysts said that the report reflects the ministry's desire to realize those issues that were not dealt with in the first summit.

by Lee Young-jong