SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) -- North Korea and South Korea on Thursday agreed to begin work on a peace plan that would officially put an end to the Korean War.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun signed an eight-point agreement in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, pledging to replace the cease-fire accord signed at the end of the Korean War.
"South and North Korea agree on (the) need to end the current armistice and establish permanent peace," the fourth point of the agreement says. In addition, the two sides will push "for a declaration of the ending of the Korean War in cooperation with neighboring nations."
The nations have remained technically at war for 54 years; an armistice was signed on July 27, 1953.
The pact also calls for a "smooth implementation" of the six-party nuclear agreements inked earlier in the year that will lead to the shutdown of North Korea's nuclear facilities and disable them.
The reclusive communist nation has agreed to disable nuclear facilities at its main Yongbyon reactor complex by December 31, according to a joint six-nation agreement released Wednesday by China.
A U.S. team, including technical experts, will head to North Korea next week and take the lead in making sure the nuclear facilities are disabled, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said Wednesday.
The reconciliation pact also calls for North and South Korean leaders to meet often for discussions on "pending issues," including a meeting between Korean prime ministers in Seoul in November.
Military ministers for the two Koreas will meet in Pyongyang on Friday.
Economic cooperation and a proposed exchange of video letters between families separated by the divided Korean peninsula also featured on the long list of agreements reached during the summit.
South Korea declined a request by Kim for Roh to extend the summit one day, according to South Korean reporters covering the summit in Pyongyang.
According to the South Korean press corps, Kim said, "How about returning to Seoul on Friday after having a leisurely lunch tomorrow and do the things originally planned for this afternoon?"
The formal talks between Kim and Roh, which opened on Wednesday, marked the first summit between the split nations in seven years.
On Tuesday Roh became the first South Korean leader to walk across the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone between the two countries. His predecessor, Kim Dae-jung, flew to Pyongyang for the first Korean leaders summit in 2000.
"As president, I'm crossing this forbidden line this time," Roh said. "After I'm back, I hope that more people will follow suit, and then this forbidden line will eventually be erased."
