[imText1]President Roh Moo Hyun invited former president Kim Dae Jung on the 9th of October to a luncheon at the Blue House and consulted with him regarding the results of the Inter-Korean Summit result and direction of subsequent policies.

At the luncheon, both presidents were accompanied by First Lady Kwon Yang Sook; former First Lady Mrs. Kim; Park Ji Won, the former Chief Presidential Secretary of Kim Dae Jung; Chief Presidential Secretary Moon Jae In; and Security Advisor Baek Jong Chun.

According to Blue House spokesperson Chun Ho Sun, former president Kim Dae Jung appreciated Roh’s idea of the special peace and cooperation zone in the West Sea, a concept that avoided controversy over possible revision of the maritime Northern Limit Line (NLL).

During the luncheon, President Roh said, “It was embarrassing when North Korea emphasized on self-reliance and rejection of foreign power, but things got better.”

“I had similar experience in 2000,” former President Kim replied.

On the special zone issue, President Roh told Kim, “At first, Chairman Kim Jong Il was negative, and I persuaded him by saying ‘it takes at least ten years to build a industrial complex even in South Korea. Therefore, the North must accept investment from the South at once.” Roh then said, “Chairman Kim seemed to understand my point and, from then on, talks on economic cooperation and building a special zone (in NK) went well.”

Kim added, “That is good for the inter-Korean economy, and it should be that way.”

In the middle of the conversation, former president Kim applauded the 2007 Summit as “a grown plant that was seeded during the first Summit, and a fortunate event for the Koreans.”

As lunch was served, President Roh and Kim started talking about the latest trip to Pyongyang, the road conditions from Kaesung to the North Korean capital, the electricity situation in Pyongyang and the Ryukyung Hotel.

When asked about the road conditions, Roh replied “Although it was satisfactory, paving looked slightly insufficient.”
President Roh’s conclusion: “the Pyongyang-Kaesung highway was much better than I expected.”

Then Kim asked Roh, “How about city-planning in Pyongyang?” Roh responded, “Lights were on throughout Pyongyang. I am not sure if they did it because of the Summit or if it was normal.”

Kim’s analysis: “Even if North Koreans turned on electricity for show, it is a good sign of economic recovery.” On North Korea’s bizarre, 105-story-tall unfinished Ryukyung Hotel, Roh concluded that “North Korea’s technology should have been at a higher level.”

Both laughed when Kim, half-jokingly, said of the hotel, “what large-scale thinking.” However, Kim criticized that the building “was unable to be finished because of design flaw.”

To Roh’s wondering on how the 105-story hotel could ever be filled with guests, Kim replied, “Socialist countries do not calculate profit.”