The World On arirang

The inter-Korean summit preparation committee was formally launched on March 16, ahead of the meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas scheduled in April. Under the chairmanship of presidential chief of staff Lim Jong-seok, a total of eight members have been appointed to the body, mostly comprising of diplomatic and security officials. Following its first meeting, the committee emphasized that the upcoming summit must lay the groundwork for a fundamental solution to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula. With the summit just weeks away, preparations are taking place at a break-neck pace, with the government devoting its full efforts to match the public's expectations over the meeting.

The third inter-Korean summit could potentially change the fate of the Korean Peninsula. Previous
administrations have also worked hard to arrange such a meeting. In June, 2000, then-President Kim Dae-jung became the first South Korean leader to meet his North Korean counterpart since the partition of the Korean Peninsula. Following the 3-day meeting, the June 15 North-South Joint Declaration was announced, which paved the way for active cross-border exchanges such as family reunions and the Mt. Kumkang tourism project. A few years later, in 2007, then-President Roh Moo-hyun succeeded in holding the second inter-Korean summit where another joint declaration was adopted, calling for the end of military hostilities and further economic exchanges between the two Koreas. With anticipation on the rise all across the world ahead of the third inter-Korean summit, this week on "Foreign Correspondents", we take a look back at the history of top-level dialogue between the two Koreas and discuss the potential outcome of the latest summit meeting.