SEOUL: The funeral yesterday of former President Kim Dae-jung, whose efforts to reconcile the divided peninsula won him the Nobel Peace Prize, was marked by the first top-level talks between the rival Koreas in nearly two years.

Kim, who died on Tuesday at 85, was a driving force in the Republic of Korea's (ROK) shift to democracy. He initiated the "Sunshine Policy" to engage the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), leading in 2000 to the first-ever summit of the two Korean leaders.

DPRK leader Kim Jong-il sent a delegation to Seoul on Friday to join in mourning Kim - with a message for the ROK's President Lee Myung-bak.