Wishing for Peace

[Anchor Lead]

The weather yesterday was perfect for the two Korean leaders to view Lake Cheonji on the top of Mount Baekdu.As the leaders of the two Koreas reached the mountain top from the North Korean side, many tourists also visited the mountain lake from the Chinese side and wished for peace on the Korean Peninsula.

[Pkg]

The morning sun rises above the horizon, and Lake Cheonji atop Mount Baekdu reveals its majestic form. Baeku is often dubbed a sacred mountain to the Koreans. Indeed a mystical energy surrounds the lake. There are four observatories around the lake in each direction, north, south, east and west. The eastern deck is on North Korea's side. People on the Chinese side viewing the lake can see from afar the Janggunbong Peak. KBS camera captured bustling preparations at the mountain side on Thursday to receive the two Korean leaders, and later in the day, a scene of many parked vehicles when the duo reached the Janggunbong Peak. Viewing the lake is known to be possible for just about 100 days out of the year. And days of clear cloudless weather are much fewer, which explains the large number of tourists on the Chinese side observatory on this particular day.

[Soundbite] (Chinese Tourist) : "I'm here for the first time and it's beautiful. Our country is huge. We have amazing sceneries such as here in many places."

Korean tourists among the crowd were particularly moved by the news of the two Korean leaders' climb of Mount Baekdu.

[Soundbite] Yoo Yeong-hee•Kim Jong-soo(Tourists) : "The only way to visit Lake Cheonji is through China. We hope the N. Korean route can swiftly open so we can climb the mountain through the North and come see the lake."

As the leaders of South and North visited the sacred lake, tourists who were also there on the mountain top during this momentous time, wished for reconciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula.