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Korea leaders open historic talks Korea talks will not be extended
(about 3 hours later)
The leaders of the two Koreas have begun formal talks in Pyongyang on the second day of an historic summit. The leaders of the two Koreas have ended a second day of historic talks in Pyongyang with a decision not to extend the summit by a day.
Little information has been released about what South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun and the reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong-il will discuss. South Korea's President Roh Moo-hyun and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-il will end their meeting as planned on Thursday with a joint declaration.
Nevertheless, Kim Jong-il has proposed that the three-day summit be extended an extra day until Friday. It is only the second-ever meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas, which are still technically at war.
However, correspondents say expectations for any lasting progress between the two countries are modest. They are expected to discuss disputed sea boundaries and economic ties.
South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun is expected to announce considerable financial support to the North. Mr Roh said earlier that he hoped the summit would ease tensions between the two countries, but correspondents say expectations for progress are modest.
It is thought they will also touch on some contentious military issues, including the location of the sea boundary between their two countries. Mr Kim had proposed earlier on Wednesday that Mr Roh stay on in the North for an extra day.
One item that is not expected to be discussed is North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, which is being left for the ongoing multi-party talks. South Korea media reports say Mr Roh turned down Mr Kim's offer.
Official welcome However, after the second day of talks ended, Mr Kim said the discussions had been adequate and that the summit would be concluded as planned, reports said.
On Monday, Mr Roh and his wife swept up to Pyongyang in a motorcade, to be greeted by Kim Jong-il, North Korea's reclusive leader, and cheering crowds. 'Honest talks'
The two leaders began their meeting at 0930 (0030 GMT) at the Paekhwawon Guest House where Mr Roh is staying, South Korean media pool reports said. Little information has been released about the subjects under discussion, but it is thought they will touch on the location of sea boundaries, a contentious issue left over from the 1950-1953 conflict.
THE TWO KOREAS 1910: Korean Peninsula colonised by Japan1945: Divided into US-backed South and Soviet-backed North1950-1953: Korean War, no peace deal signed1987: North Korea bombs a South airliner, killing 1151990s: South Korea introduces conciliatory Sunshine Policy2000: Kim Jong-il and Kim Dae-jung hold first leaders' summit2007: Kim Jong-il and Roh Moo-hyun hold second leaders' summit During a break in talks on Wednesday, Mr Roh described his morning session with Mr Kim as "honest and frank" but said that the two sides must learn to trust each other.
Kim Jong-il was more animated than he appeared at Tuesday's welcoming ceremony, smiling repeatedly as he met the South Korean leader. THE TWO KOREAS 1910: Korean Peninsula colonised by Japan1945: Divided into US-backed South and Soviet-backed North1950-1953: Korean War, no peace deal signed1987: North Korea bombs a South airliner, killing 1151990s: South Korea introduces conciliatory Sunshine Policy2000: Kim Jong-il and Kim Dae-jung hold first leaders' summit2007: Kim Jong-il and Roh Moo-hyun hold second leaders' summit class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7022080.stm">Mixed feelings over summit class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7023270.stm">In pictures: Historic crossing
Mr Roh presented gifts, including a series of South Korean DVDs. Kim Jong-il is a keen cinema fan. He said Pyongyang was dissatisfied with the speed of development of a joint industrial park run by the South in Kaesong.
As Wednesday's talks got under way, Mr Roh reportedly expressed concerns about flooding which left several hundred dead in the North this summer. Mr Roh also said the North expressed regret that the international stand-off over its nuclear weapons programs had prevented greater economic co-operation with the South.
After two hours, the leaders stopped for lunch and Mr Roh told reporters he and Mr Kim had engaged in "candid and frank" discussions. North Korea's nuclear programme is the subject of separate international six-party talks.
Talks were due to resume on Wednesday afternoon. In a development on Tuesday, the US said it has approved an agreement over North Korea's nuclear weapons that would see its main nuclear facility disabled by the end of the year.
Political tensions Mr Kim appeared upbeat when the two leaders met on Wednesday, smiling repeatedly as he received a gift of 150 South Korean DVDs.
Despite the billions of dollars spent since the last North-South summit seven years ago, the North remains impoverished and isolated. South Korea had earlier denied that President Roh was given a cool reception by Mr Kim, who appeared dour and unsmiling when he welcomed the South Korean leader on Tuesday.
class="" href="/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/7022080.stm">Mixed feelings over summit class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7023270.stm">In pictures: Historic crossing Millions of people died in the 1950-53 Korean war, a civil conflict which drew in several bigger powers and has never been formally ended.
Some observers believe that, amid military tensions, Kim Jong-il is using the talks to coax further economic aid and other concessions from the nervous South, says the BBC's John Sudworth in Seoul.
Mr Roh is in the final months of his term in office, and his critics accuse him of using the summit to cement his image as a peacemaker.
In two related developments:
  • A senior North Korean official Choe Su-hon, told the UN General Assembly he had good hopes for the summit, but said no progress could be made if the US continued its "hostile policy" of "threats of pre-emptive nuclear strikes and harsh economic sanctions", reported the news agency AFP
  • US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Washington had endorsed a plan to disable North Korea's main nuclear facilities by the end of the year, drafted in six-nation talks on Sunday.
    Millions of people died in the 1950-53 Korean war, a civil conflict which drew in several bigger powers, and it has never been formally ended.
    Seoul has promoted hopes for a permanent truce while North Korea's avowed aim is reunification.Seoul has promoted hopes for a permanent truce while North Korea's avowed aim is reunification.