North Korea has sent a confidant of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to attend the seminar marking the anniversary of the June 2000 South-North summit.

Vice President of the North's Asia-Pacific Peace Committee Ri Jong-hyuk said North Korean leader Kim Jong-il wants to move forward the momentum for the current good inter-Korean relations and further develop their cooperative ties.

The North Korean delegate conveyed Kim's message to President Roh Moo-hyun on Tuesday prior to the opening of the seminar.

Roh, in turn, thanked Ri for Kim's message and also stressed the importance of keeping promise and trust in an apparent reference to the North Korean leader's promise to make a return visit to Seoul.

The president also lauded the June 2000 South-North summit, saying what was impossible to achieve in the past 50 years has become possible through the landmark event, referring to the latest actions taken by the two Koreas to ease military tensions.