( News.com.au ) SOUTH Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun will walk across the world's last cold war frontier this week as he travels for a summit with the North's Kim Jong-Il.
He will be the first South Korean leader to do so since the Korean War half a century ago.
Mr Roh is to visit Pyongyang by car via the truce border village of Panmunjom for talks with Mr Kim from October 2 to 4 - only the second inter-Korean summit in the six decades since the peninsula was divided.
Mr Roh's predecessor, Kim Dae-Jung, travelled to the North by air for the first summit in 2000.
The South's Unification Minister Lee Jae-Joung said Mr Roh and his 13-member entourage would walk across the border in the middle of the demilitarised zone, the symbol of division.
"Walking across the military demarcation line will be a historic and impressive moment,'' Mr Lee said ..
Mr Roh would be the first South Korean president to walk over the line.
"I hope this will serve as a historic momentum for solidifying peace on the Korean peninsula.''
Mr Roh plans to unveil a message of peace before walking across the border, according to Yonhap news agency.
In theory, North and South Korea are still at war as the 1950-53 conflict ended in an armistice and not a peace treaty.
Since the 2000 sumit , their cold war rivalry has given way to increasing economic and humanitarian exchanges but there are tensions along the heavily fortified frontier zone.
Mr Roh has said South Korea wants to start talks on formally ending the state of war with North Korea and discuss ways to expand economic exchanges.
Mr Roh , accompanied by 300 people - 13 official delegates, 137 attendants, 50 journalists and 98 support personnel - will travel for about three hours to Pyongyang.
He is to hold talks with the North's No.2 leader Kim Yong-Nam in the afternoon.
Following a dinner, Mr Roh will attend the North's propaganda festival.
It was not clear whether Mr Roh and Mr Kim would sit together to watch the performance in the May 1 Stadium - which with 150,000 seats is the world's largest sports facility outside Rio de Janeiro.
At the performances more than 100,000 soldiers, children and students hold up coloured cards to form enormous displays in praise of the hardline communist state and its leaders - including late founder Kim Il-Sung, who ordered the invasion of South Korea in 1950.
The South's conservative opposition Grand National Party has opposed Mr Roh's attendance at the festival, saying it praises communist ideology and glorifies Kim Jong-Il and his late father.
South Korean human rights activists say thousands of North Korean children must undergo months of military-style training for the show.
The North's state media has touted the festival as the brainchild of Kim Jong-Il, saying he developed it into a world-class masterpiece through his guidance.
On Wednesday, Mr Roh will have lengthy talks with Mr Kim.
Officials said a joint statement could be issed that night.
On October 4, Mr Roh is expected to visit the North's industrial and cultural facilities before joining a farewell lunch hosted by the North's leader.