Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung says that if the leaders of the two Koreas attend North Korea's Arirang Festival together, it will send a message of peace to the world.

When asked if President Roh Moo-hyun would attend the mass gymnastics performance during his summit visit to Pyongyang next month, the minister said a decision would come when Seoul's first summit advance team returns from the North on Friday.

But he suggested that joint attendance by the two leaders would be a show of cross-border cooperation for peace.

Lee said that North Korea is making changes to the festival such as the content of the card
presentations and has invited Seoul's input on the changes, adding that the festival shouldn't be viewed as a sheer propaganda show.

The Arirang Festival, which is usually held to commemorate the birth of North Korean founder Kim Il-sung, features synchronized performances by thousands of gymnasts and choreographed card presentations where large groups of participants hold up colored cards to form elaborate pictures when seen from afar.