Kim Jong-un became on Friday the first North Korean leader to step onto South Korean soil by crossing the military line of separation that has divided the peninsula since the end of the Korean War in 1953, world media report. The golden gates at the building on the North Korean side of the border opened on Friday morning and the leader of that country, Kim Jong-un, dressed in a black Mao suit and surrounded by a retinue of officials, descended towards the border.
In minutes rich with symbolism and pomp, and with a guard of honor in traditional blue, yellow, and red uniforms, South Korean President Moon Jae-in (65) and Kim (34) shook hands at the border with smiles, and the North Korean leader expressed hope for “open discussions” during the warm greeting of the leaders just a few months after the belligerent rhetoric exchanged by the two countries.
The meeting place – the village of Panmunjom is one of the few places on the border without barbed wire and minefields.
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“I am excited about the meeting at this historic place and it is truly nice that you came all the way to the line of separation to personally welcome me,” said Kim as he accepted Moon’s outstretched hand.
“Your decision to have this happen here was great,” replied Moon, dressed in a dark suit and light blue tie, as he invited Kim to step onto South Korean soil. Now on the summit’s agenda are topics such as a peace agreement and the removal of nuclear weapons, and Kim wondered at the beginning of this meeting “why it took so long to get here.”
Most of the topics for the meeting were agreed upon in advance, but many analysts remain skeptical about the North’s announcement that it would halt nuclear testing.
The spontaneous moment of the meeting won over the public
In a carefully staged meeting, the spontaneous moment was when Kim invited the South Korean president to step onto North Korean soil for a moment before they returned together to South Korea, holding hands the whole time. The two leaders then headed to the first part of the talks, which concluded, and the delegations separated for lunch before the afternoon session. Kim returned to North Korea in a black limousine.
The first meeting of the leaders of the two Koreas in the past ten years will continue in the afternoon, again in South Korea, just across the border in the Peace House in Panmunjom, a military complex in the demilitarized zone between the two countries.
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“A new history now begins – the starting point of history and a period of peace,” wrote the North Korean leader in the guest book at the Peace House. The seriousness of the moment was occasionally lightened by humorous tones when Kim joked that he brought some little-known North Korean cold noodles for the summit.
“I hope you will enjoy the noodles we brought,” he said.
The U.S. Welcomes the Meeting
Reactions from around the world began to arrive, and the White House welcomed the meeting, expressing hope that the summit would represent progress towards peace and advancement. The Korean summit is seen as a prelude to the proposed meeting between the North Korean leader and U.S. President Donald Trump, the first ever between a U.S. president and a North Korean leader.
The main topic of discussion is expected to be North Korea’s controversial nuclear weapons development program, which has brought a series of sanctions to the country.
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Seoul has warned in advance that reaching an agreement to halt that program in Pyongyang will not be easy due to the significant advancements in North Korean nuclear and missile technology since the last meeting of the leaders of the two Koreas about a decade ago. This meeting is the third of its kind between the leaders of the two Koreas after those in 2000 and 2007, both held in Pyongyang, and is the result of improved relations between the two Koreas in recent months.
Last month, Kim announced that he would temporarily halt nuclear missile testing, which the U.S. and South Korea welcomed as a positive step.
Media reports indicate that, according to Chinese scientists, the North Korean nuclear testing facility has become unusable after a rock collapsed on it following the last test. In addition to the North Korean nuclear program, the two leaders are expected to discuss steps towards peace that would formally end the Korean War fought from 1950-1953, as well as other economic and social issues.
The summit concludes with the signing of an agreement and a joint statement
Before the afternoon part of the summit, the two leaders planted a tree using soil and water from both sides of the border to mark the beginning of a period of “peace and progress,” and after the talks, the summit will conclude with the signing of an agreement and a joint statement before an official dinner that will also be held on the South Korean side of the border.
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The menu for the official dinner has been carefully planned, and as a reminder of Kim’s years of study in Switzerland, a Swiss potato dish will be served along with famous North Korean noodles and traditional drinks from that country. After dinner, the delegations will watch a video before Kim returns to his country.
The North Korean delegation includes nine officials, among them Kim’s sister Kim Yo-jong, who was introduced to the world public when she led the country’s delegation at the recent Winter Olympics in South Korea, which among other things opened the way for warming relations and something that has not been seen before – military officials.
Kim’s newly developed appetite for diplomacy has led to a milestone – a meeting with high-ranking South Korean officials in March when it was also announced that he would meet with U.S. President Donald Trump.
