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Celebrations by the two Koreas of the sixth anniversary of the historic inter-Korean summit on June 15, 2000 started in Gwangju on Wednesday with delegations from both Koreas and abroad. A 140-strong delegation of North Korean government officials and civilians arrived at Gwangju Airport aboard Air Koryo around 11 a.m.
¡°Thank you for inviting us to this historic city,¡± said An Kyong-ho, the head of the North Korean Committee for the Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland, who leads the civilian delegation. In the afternoon, 59 delegates from both sides visited the May 18 National Cemetery commemorating the democratic uprising in the city. Despite the heavy rain, they laid flowers and paid a two-minute silent tribute.]
A dozen members of conservative groups including North Korean defectors protested in front of the cemetery. They held pickets which said, ¡°Criminals like North Korean leader Kim Jong-il should not insult the spirit of the May 18 Gwangju Democratic Movement.¡±
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The North Korean delegation to celebrations of the June 15, 2000 summit between the two Koreas arrive at Gwangju Airport on Wednesday, the eve of the anniversary./Newsis
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The opening ceremony was held at Gwangju World Cup stadium at 7 p.m. in the presence of the delegations and Gwangju citizens. Former president Kim Dae-jung gave a five-minute keynote address. The two Korean delegations are to hold a rally to promote putting the June 15 Joint Declaration into practice at the Gwangju Culture and Art Center on Thursday and will organize unity meetings for labor, religion, women¡¯s issues, culture and art, farmers¡¯ issues, college students, education and the civic environment. The celebrations run through Saturday.
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The North Korean delegation to celebrations of the June 15, 2000 summit between the two Koreas arrive at Gwangju Airport on Wednesday morning./Yonhap
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The government is pouring some W1.4 billion (US $1.4 million) of the budget for inter-Korean cooperation into the celebrations. The Unification Ministry gave W2.28 billion for the celebration in Seoul last year and W1.24 billion for the football game held as part of the event. It paid another W659 million of the inter-Korean cooperation budget to support an event in Pyongyang in June last year.
There is criticism of such handouts in view of the fact that some participating groups are spreading what is seen as pro-Pyongyang propaganda, demanding the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the peninsula. An Kyong-ho has recently seemed to meddle with South Korean affairs, warning of dire consequences if the Grand National Party takes power. South Korean reporters tried to interview An on arrival at Gwangju Airport but were stopped by security forces.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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