Cold relations between North and South Korea seem to be warming up as leaders of the long-time adversaries have agreed to meet at the end of the month for their second-ever summit.
It has been seven years since North Korean leader Kim Jong II and South Korean President Roh Moohyun met at their first summit.
The hope is that the lines of communication will widen and business relations will continue to advance, despite the fact the two countries are still technically at war.
"The second-inter-Korean summit will contribute to substantially opening the era of peace and prosperity between the two Koreas," said South Korea's presidential office in a statement.
The summit is scheduled to take place Aug. 28-30 in North Korea's capital, Pyongyang, where the first summit was also held, confirmed South Korean presidential security adviser Baek Jong-chun.
While the news pleased the international community, many political activists described the summit as nothing more than a strategic political move during an election campaign for South Korea's presidential vote in December.
"It's humiliating that the summit is going to be held in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, again," said Son Jin, an 88-year-old political activist told The Associated Press. "It's high time that North Korea had to visit Seoul."
At the summit in 2000, Kim Jong II did promise to come to South Korea for a visit but Roh Moohyun accepted an invitation to return to Pyongyang, said Kim Man-bok, head of South Korea's national intelligence service.
A spokesperson for the opposition party, the Grand National, also dismissed the historic event.
"At this point there is nothing to expect from the summit," said Na Kyung-won in a statement.
However, observers say the first meeting between the two Koreas did thaw the frigid relations that have plagued the country since their ceasefire at the end of the 1950-1953 war.
The countries arranged the reunion of thousands of families split by the heavily fortified border and also began some shared economic projects.
"We have long welcomed and supported North-South dialogue and hope this meeting will help promote peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and fulfilling the goals of the six-party talks," said Washington State Department spokesperson Joanne Moore in a prepared statement.
Washington is also hopeful the talks will continue to encourage North Korea from abandoning its nuclear weapons program.
The country has already showed a promising sign by shutting down their only nuclear reactor in exchange for oil aid. The United States and other western countries have been negotiating a timeline for the communist country to declare and abandon its nuclear projects.
However, North Korea has consistently refused to discuss the nuclear standoff with South Korea, saying it is a dispute with Washington alone.
With files from The Associated Press
