North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) swiftly reported on President Roh Moo-hyun’s visit to Pyongyang on Tuesday for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il.

KCNA began carrying reports on the president's arrival at three p.m., saying that the meeting between leaders of the two Koreas was of great significance. It declared that the summit would bring inter-Korean relations to the next level and open a new chapter in peace, progress and Korean reunification.

The report on Mr. Roh's arrival came two hours earlier than similar coverage during the first inter-Korean summit in 2000 when former President Kim Dae-jung visited the North Korean capital.

While the KCNA report referred to President Roh Moo-hyun by his title, it made no specific mention of South Korea, or its official name, the Republic of Korea.