North And South Korea Just Agreed To Rid The Peninsula Of Nuclear Weapons After A Historic Summit

The agreement came after an unprecedented visit by Kim Jong Un to South Korea.

The leaders of North and South Korea have concluded a historic summit by pledging to work toward the “complete denuclearization” of the Korean peninsula and the signing of a full peace treaty this year, which would formally bring an end to more than half a century of hostilities.

The announcement came hours after Kim Jong Un crossed the border into South Korea to meet with president Moon Jae-in, becoming the first North Korean leader to enter the South since the Korean War ended in 1953.

Previous summits have ended with similar commitments to rid the Koreas of nuclear weapons, but none have featured such symbolic set pieces as were witnessed at the truce village of Panmunjom on Friday, which saw Kim and Moon shake hands at the border before addressing the world's media together at the end of the day.

The summit is also expected to lay the groundwork for an equally unprecedented proposed meeting between Kim and President Donald Trump, which is earmarked for late May or June.

Trump tweeted Friday to say "good things are happening" on the Korean peninsula but "only time will tell!"

After a furious year of missile launches and Nuclear testing, a historic meeting between North and South Korea is now taking place. Good things are happening, but only time will tell!

He later tweeted that Americans should be "very proud" about what was taking place.

KOREAN WAR TO END! The United States, and all of its GREAT people, should be very proud of what is now taking place in Korea!

Please do not forget the great help that my good friend, President Xi of China, has given to the United States, particularly at the Border of North Korea. Without him it would have been a much longer, tougher, process!

Kim and Moon signed an extraordinary declaration after the summit, which said they will "bring forward the future of co-prosperity and unification" by "facilitating comprehensive and groundbreaking advancement" in their relations.

It said they would seek to turn the demilitarized zone separating the countries into a "peace zone" by ceasing "all hostile acts and eliminating their means" by May 1, and reunify families who were separated by the creation of the border.

President Moon will also visit Pyongyang in the autumn for another summit with Kim.

Here are screenshots of the Panmunjom Declaration between Kim and Moon that they just signed

After signing the agreement, the leaders said they would aim to secure a "permanent" and "solid" peace between the two nations, and discuss reunification.

"We’re not going to have war, and we are declaring a new era of peace," Moon said.

"Chairman Kim and I agreed and confirmed our goal is the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula."

"South and North Korea are going to cooperate more closely through the truce and peace treaty," he continued. "We are going to build a system permanent for peace."

He added that the "important agreement" would change the international order, confirming that the two governments will have "regular meetings" about reunification, as well as regular phone calls.

"We are not going back to the past from now on," he said.

Kim thanked Moon and the people of South Korea for their hospitality, as he addressed the world's media for the first time ever.

"The North and the South wasted so much time to meet again, and we’ve been waiting for this meeting for a long time," he said. "We are one nation. We cannot be separated, and we share the same blood and this is what I really felt."

He added that the two countries "can make everything possible" for a "bright future."


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