He used the same route he had taken on his trip to the North, crossing the military demarcation line at the demilitarized zone at around nine p.m. Thursday night.

In a speech at a welcoming ceremony at Dorasan train station south of the inter-Korean border, the president said his visit was a successful one, achieving more than he had expected.

He said the first round of talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on Wednesday morning didn’t go smoothly, but the atmosphere turned for the better in the second session in the afternoon.

The president said he and the North Korean leader have agreed to faithfully implement the February 13th six-way nuclear agreement. He said he was confident that the nuclear issue will be successfully resolved.

Mr. Roh disclosed that he received a detailed report during the summit talks from North Korea’s chief delegate to the six-party nuclear talks Kim Kye-kwan on the six-party talks held in Beijing last week.

The president said the North Korean leader agreed to replace the shaky Korean War armistice with a permanent peace treaty.

The president said North Korea has agreed to create a peace and cooperation zone at the western sea border, which he called the core achievement of his visit to the North.

Roh said he emphasized the need for North Korea to improve ties with the United States and Japan, to which Kim didn’t reply.

(KBS World Radio, October 4, 2007)