South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun turned down a proposal by the North Korean leader yesterday to extend their summit for another day, South Korean media reported.
The unsourced pool report from Pyongyang said Roh would issue a joint statement with North Korea's Kim Jong-il today and return to Seoul the same day, as scheduled.
Kim had proposed stretching the rare summit meeting between the two states into another day so that talks could be more substantive and relaxed.
PHOTO: AFP
Earlier, Roh's spokesman told reporters in Seoul: "Chairman Kim Jong-il has suggested that President Roh's stay in Pyongyang be extended by an extra day."
Spokesman Yoon Seung-yong said Kim had requested the extension so that the leaders could talk in a more relaxed atmosphere.
A spokesman for the Seoul government said later that North and South Korea had achieved "good results" in the summit and decided against extending their talks.
Developments in six-nation nuclear talks may have warmed the mood.
North Korea, which tested an atomic bomb last October, has agreed to disable its key nuclear facilities and provide a complete list of all nuclear programs by the end of this year, under a deal made public late yesterday in Beijing.
"We estimate that the talks were sufficient and candid and have achieved good results," Roh's spokesman said from Pyongyang.
"President Roh himself said he was satisfied with the outcome. We will be able to announce the outcome in the form of a declaration before [today's] farewell lunch."
Cheon said Kim himself withdrew his proposal to keep talking into tomorrow after "the talks proceeded well in a very good atmosphere and efficiently and reached agreement earlier than expected."
The pair shook hands in an apparently friendly manner after the talks ended, television footage showed.
Cheon gave no details of what had been agreed on but said some progress was made on a peace settlement, economic cooperation and reconciliation.
Seoul has said peace and prosperity would be the overriding themes of this week's meeting between two nations still technically at war following the 1950 to 1953 Korean War.
But any peace declaration would be mainly symbolic in the absence of a multilateral treaty formally ending the war, which also involved the US and China.
TV footage showed Roh, who had earlier spoken of disagreements and lack of trust, clearly taken aback by Kim's surprise suggestion of extending the talks. He said he would have to discuss any extension with his security and protocol teams.
"Can't you make a decision, Mr President?" responded a teasing Kim, whose own power in the hardline communist state is absolute.
But Cheon quoted Kim as saying later: "We had enough talks. I don't see any need to extend it. Your people are waiting for your return."
Roh later attended the Arirang Festival, a one-of-a-kind propaganda extravaganza in which up to 100,000 people perform in unison.
Conservatives have denounced his decision to go, saying it traditionally glorifies a sworn enemy. Seoul officials said the performance Roh attended had been toned down.
Roh gave Kim dozens of DVDs of South Korean films, which are banned for ordinary North Koreans, delighting the film buff leader.
Roh and Kim had a morning and an afternoon session of talks. Roh described his morning session as "honest and frank," but said the two sides had some disagreements and must learn to trust each other.
Roh said he and Kim "didn't share the same views in all aspects but I confirmed Kim's strong will to stabilize peace and the need to set a direction for the future."
Also see story:
Wang Tuoh says Korean summit offers inspiration
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique