Summit fever grips South Korea

Souvenir T-shirts are selling like hot cakes

By Seoul correspondent Caroline Gluck

In advance of the first ever meeting by the leaders of the two Koreas, the South has been seized by "summit fever".

South Koreans anticipate a historic handshake

In the South there is an atmosphere of goodwill across the Cold War frontier that at one time would have been unthinkable.

The summit is being marketed like a major sports event. One South Korean firm has been giving away free T-shirts, which look set to become collectors' items.

Park Sang-hoo, a spokesman for Prime Communications who masterminded the T-shirt stunt, said it was intended as a celebration of the summit.

Dolls on sale at a department store

But not everybody has forgotten the decades of enmity between North and South.

"Talking with North Koreans? I would never talk to North Koreans," says one 63-year-old man, Na Hyun-goo.

The two Koreas remain technically at war after the 1950-53 Korean War ended without a peace agreement.

Cartoons

The anticipation is so great that some firms couldn't wait to put the two Kims together - hoping to cash in on the huge international interest in the summit.

A portrait of Kim Jong-il adorns the Kyoungbok Palace in Seoul

One design company has created animated cartoon images showing the two leaders searching for the Unification Flag.

When they cannot find it, they are transformed into Supermen, enabling them to find the flag.

The South Korean company behind the images has not decided yet how to use them, but they are likely to end up adorning mugs and other favourite souvenir items.

Top of the pops

North Korean songs are also becoming the latest thing. A South Korean student has been called into a local studio to record the North's most famous songs.

A former North Korean defector, Ahn Hyuk, who runs a company called Medialine, is spearheading the cultural thaw.

The event has turned into a major marketing exercise

"It's good timing to see a South Korean student freely singing North Korean popular songs," said Mr Ahn, who fled the North eight years ago to escape prosecution for anti-government activities.

Student Kil Jong-hwa, who recorded the songs, said she hoped it would help bring North and South Koreans together.

Mr Ahn says some of the profits from sales of the CD will be donated to charities working in North Korea.

Caution

Summit fever has also seen cultural exchanges between North and South.

A youth art troupe from North Korea recently won the hearts of South Koreans during a visit to Seoul and one of their songs, Nice to See You, became so popular it was instantly transformed into a jingle for mobile phones.

I sincerely thank God for giving us this opportunity to pray for the successful summit of North and South Korea

Lee Mann-Shin, Head of Christian Council of Korea

But one expert on North Korea, Mike Breen, downplayed the festive atmosphere.

"You've had the art troupes come in - the media are excited because you know it's a great story and so on. My impression, though, is that people are keeping their expectations down," he says.

And just in case things do not go too well, Christians have been praying for divine intervention to help ensure the summit goes off smoothly.