Inter-Korea Hotline, Representative Offices Discussed at Summit

Kim Dae-Jung Holds Talks with Kim Yong-Nam

Top North Korean and South Korean leaders entered the second day of talks Wednesday, with an inter-Korea hotline between them and representative offices in each other's capital being discussed.

Two economic agreements are also expected to be signed later Wednesday, according to latest news from Xinhua news agency.

Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of North Korea's Supreme People's Assembly, and visiting South Korean President Kim Dae-jung held an enlarged summit meeting Wednesday morning.

Attending the meeting which started at 0948 local time (0048 GMT) at the Mansudae Assembly Hall were Yang Hyong Sop, vice-president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly, and Choi Taebok, chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly from the North side and National Unification Minister Park Jae-kyu and Culture and Tourism Minister Park Jie-won from South Korea.

A DPRK official who spoke on condition of anonymity said that two agreements on prevention of double taxation and investment protection will be signed later Wednesday.

According to a press release distributed in Seoul, South Korean Presidential spokesman Park Joon-young said in Pyongyang Wednesday that the two sides are discussing the possibility of installing a hotline between the leaders of the South and the North, but "no decision has been made yet."

Reports from the pooled South Korean media reports said the two sides are also discussing the possibility of establishing representative offices in each other's capital, but again no final agreement has been reached.