An unprecedented three-day summit between the leaders of North and South Korea, set to begin today in the Northern capital of Pyongyang, has enormous implications for the two nations divided since 1945. Here is a look at the men involved, the issues they may address, and the events that have brought them to this point. The summit agenda South Korean President Kim Dae Jung says he wants to convey that his country has neither the intention nor the ability to absorb North Korea in a German-style unification. In a speech in Berlin this March that may have sparked North Korea's consideration of the summit meeting, he proposed that South Korea guarantee the North's national security, assist its economic recovery, and support it in the international arena. In return, the North would have to abandon armed provocation against South Korea, comply with past promises to not develop nuclear weapons, and give up ambitions to build long-range missiles.
Officials say keeping the agenda simple and starting with easy issues improve chances for success.
Critics worry this may mean the South won't confront North Korea about more contentious issues. And where the South Korean leader is expected to concentrate on taking small but concrete steps, his counterpart may want to address thornier, bigger issues. If the summit opens an era of reduced tensions and expanded cooperation between the two Koreas, the 22 million people of the North will have a lot to gain. Their economy has shrunk for nine years, only growing slightly this year because of a good harvest and foreign aid. An ongoing famine, caused by a collapsing economy and natural disasters, killed hundreds of thousands of people during the 1990s.