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Korean Summit: A Historic Step
Republic of Korea President Kim Dae-jung travelled to Pyongyang Tuesday for a historic summit with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea leader Kim Jong-il.
Koreans have been waiting half a century for this meeting in hopes that it will unite the divided country.
What has kept the two apart is more than geographical barriers. For thousands of years, the two countries were one, sharing the same ancestors and history. But at the end of World War II the two sides were divided by political differences. The separation, which can be attributed to Japan's cruel colonialism and, later, the Cold War, has not only remained a sore point for Koreans, but also a flash point for the world.
With the end of the Cold War, North and South no longer need bear the political and economic burden of antagonism. Instead, they should return to being brothers.
President Kim Dae-jung's trip is the first step in this direction. The one-and-a-half hour plane ride to Pyongyang may seem little more than a symbolic trip to some, but the countries' first summit in 50 years is of major importance to these divided people.
Korea's leaders should not have to search for reasons to visit each other: It is natural for brothers to speak.
The unnatural separation of Korea has run its course. It is time for open exchanges between the two countries. However, a gulf left to grow for 50 years will not be overcome in one night.
But with efforts on both sides, reconciliation can be reached, paving the way for reunification which will benefit not only the two Koreas, but the world as well.
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