the communist nation of nuclear weapons. The United States welcomed the summit, but said the prime forum for discussing North Korea's denuclearization would remain six-party talks in which Washington is joined by Japan, Russia, China, and the two Koreas.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is to host South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun on Aug. 28-30 in Pyongyang, the second time leaders of the Koreas will meet since their division after World War II.
The summit "will become an important occasion for the leaders of South and North Korea to actively resolve the North's nuclear issue," South Korean Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung told reporters.
North Korea switched off its sole operating nuclear reactor in July as part of a February agreement with the five other countries. The move was its first step to scale back its nuclear weapons development since the current standoff began in 2002.
North Korea has received 50,000 tons of heavy oil from South Korea as a reward for that first step, and the energy-starved country is to eventually receive aid equivalent to 950,000 tons of oil for declaring all its nuclear programs and disabling its facilities.
Washington said the six-nation disarmament talks remained the main focus for the international community as it seeks to stop North Korea from making nuclear bombs.
"The center of gravity of everybody's diplomatic efforts here really is in the six-party talks," U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Wednesday in Washington.
He added that the summit "in no way detracts from the efforts in the six-party talks to denuclearize the Korean peninsula."
Also Thursday, Lee said South Korea will ask to travel by land to this month's summit, making use of links across the peninsula's heavily fortified border restored after the countries' first summit seven years ago. He said it was not yet clear if Roh would seek to travel by road or rail to Pyongyang.
Lee said he believed the North would accept Seoul's request, citing precedents such as a trip earlier this year by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who walked into South Korea at the truce village of Panmunjom after a visit to Pyongyang where he pressed North Korea for progress on nuclear disarmament.
At the first summit between the sides, then-South Korean President Kim Dae-jung flew to Pyongyang. That meeting was a turning point in relations between the Koreas, who remain technically at war, and led to the restored transport links cutting through the Demilitarized Zone that divides the peninsula.
Roads were reopened in 2003 and trains crossed the border in a one-time test run in May.
South Korea has longed to reopen regular transport through North Korea to enable it to more cheaply transport products to mainland Asia and Europe and fuel its export-dependent economy. South Korea is a virtual island as its only land border is with North Korea, meaning it relies on air and sea transport for its goods.
Kim Jong Il had promised at the first summit to make a trip to South Korea. But Seoul acceded to the North's request that this month's meeting be held in Pyongyang, a concession that has drawn some criticism in the South.
