MICHAEL HOLMES, WORLD NEWS: It's being hailed as an historic turning point in a 50-year-old conflict. The two Koreas announced plans on Monday to hold a summit in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, this June. It would be the first such meeting since the Korean peninsula was divided after the second world war. CNN's Judy Woodruff has more on the turbulent relationship between these long-time foes.</s>JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The announcement of the summit could mark the beginning of the end of one of the Cold War's last armed stand-offs. It comes after years of attempts by the international community, led by the United States, to ease tension between the two bitter enemies. Analysts say the North's turnabout from years of self-imposed isolation may be prompted by a collapsing economy and a recent famine in which as many as two million North Koreans may have died. Kim Jong Il's father, Kim Il Sung, agreed to meet with his southern counterpart in 1994. But he died before the summit could take place. Western military experts have long viewed the Korean peninsula as one of the world's most dangerous places. Since the Korean War, relations between the two sides have always been one step removed from armed conflict and, on occasion, conflict has broken out. Last June, South Korean ships fired on and sank a North Korean torpedo boat in disputed waters of the Yellow Sea. In 1998, a North Korean submarine was found in South Korean waters. The nine crewmen are thought to have committed suicide when their spy mission failed. The roots of animosity go back to the start of the Cold War more than 50 years ago, when Korea was divided between the Soviet Union- backed North and the South, supported by the United States. In 1950, the North invaded the South, touching off the Korean War. Chinese troops eventually backed the North and fought the American-led United Nations forces. A truce ended the fighting three years later, but the two Koreas still remain technically at war. To this day, their armies face each other across the 38th Parallel with the South Koreans backed by some 37,000 American troops. Judy Woodruff, CNN, reporting.
Turbulent History Between North And South Korea