On June 13, 2000 (May 12, 2000 lunar calendar), the leaders of North and South Korea met for the first time. On June 13, 2000, Kim Jong-il, Chairperson of the National Defense Commission of North Korea, and Kim Dae-jung, President of South Korea, met in Pyongyang. This was the first meeting between the leaders of North and South Korea in more than half a century since the division of the Korean Peninsula. According to information provided by the Seoul News Center, Kim Jong-il said during the meeting that the North and South "are one nation". The people of the North "very much welcome President Kim Dae-jung's visit". Kim Jong-il said that the summit meeting "created a good precedent. According to this precedent, all issues can be resolved in the future". He also said: "June 13 will be recorded in history forever." "Let's make this history together now," Kim Dae-jung said. He expressed "infinite emotion" at the warm welcome he received on his arrival in Pyongyang and "sincere gratitude" to Kim Jong-il and the people of the north. He said Kim Jong-il's arrival at the airport made him "feel the sincerity" of the north. The meeting was held at the Baihuayuan State Guesthouse where Kim Dae-jung is staying. The meeting lasted 27 minutes. Kim Yong-nam, chairperson of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea, and Kim Dae-jung's main entourage attended the meeting. When Kim Dae-jung arrived in Pyongyang on the morning of the 13th, he was greeted by Kim Jong-il, Kim Yong-nam and other North Korean leaders, and was welcomed by 600,000 Pyongyang citizens on the way to the state guesthouse. Kim Dae-jung said in a statement after arriving in Pyongyang that he had "come to Pyongyang in accordance with the will of compatriots in the south, seeking peace, cooperation and reunification of the nation". The north and the south "are one nation and a community, and should join hands and unite". Together with Kim Jong-il, he will "strive to explore a path where compatriots from the north and the south can live in peace and happiness". Kim Dae-jung said he "will do his best to solve the problems that can be solved one by one. For issues that have differences, they must also be resolved through the second and third meetings in the future."