Presidents of South and North Korea's top universities have met in Russia, the first of its kind since the nation was divided.
President Jeong Un-chan of Seoul National University and the head of Pyongyang's Kim Il-sung University, Seong Ja-rib, met on Thursday at a ceremony marking the opening of Russia's national Far East University.
The South Korean university said that President Jeong had been invited by the Russian school to receive an honorary doctorate degree, but he did not expect to meet his Northern counterpart since he was not aware of the North Korean scholar's visit.
An official at Seoul National University said the two scholars met on several occasions before and after the ceremony and had some pleasant talks.
The official said their encounter, though brief, was meaningful, and expressed hope that it would lead to the opening of exchanges between the two prestigious higher learning institutions.