S. Korea's Kim Seeks Practical Outcomes From Inter-Korean SummitSouth Korean President Kim Dae-jung Monday stressed the importance of pursuing the inter-Korean summit scheduled for June 12-14 in Pyongyang but expected only "practical outcomes.""We will deal with the matter without great desire and with caution to seek practical outcomes," Kim said in a televised speech to the nation. At the forthcoming inter-Korean summit, Kim said he will focus on economic cooperation, consolidation of peace, reunion of separated families and the establishment of a permanent office for inter-Korean cooperation. Kim separated humanitarian aid from economic cooperation with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), which is seen as an indirect response to allegations that his government pledged large-scale economic aid to the north in return for the summit. Economic cooperation is being sought based on mutual interests and reciprocity and will benefit both South Korea and the DPRK, he said. The South Korean president also made it clear that he will pursue the summit on the basis of national consensus and cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties. In early April, South Korea and the DPRK reached an agreement in China, under which, President Kim will travel to Pyongyang to hold a summit with DPRK leader Kim Jong Il. It will be the first-ever inter-Korean summit since the Korean War in the early 1950s. |
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