Picture gallery: Preparing for Korea's big day

With the leaders of North and South Korea preparing for their first ever meeting, Koreans have been celebrating what many hope will be a turning-point in their nation's history.

Embracing change: Department store workers in central Seoul help mark an historic occasion

Two of a kind: Finalists in a lookalike competition take part in a mock summit

With the landmark meeting delayed the real President Kim Dae-jung takes time out to feed the fish at his official residence

Waiters at a Seoul restaurant celebrate the summit with free servings of traditional North Korean cold noodles

At the fortified border North Korean guards spruce up one of the many watchtowers with a fresh coat of paint

Breaking the divide: North Korean defector Kim Hye-yong (left) leads a symbolic wire cutting ceremony in Seoul

But at the border the reality of divisions between the two Koreas remains starkly visible