North and South Korean leaders agree to denuclearisation of peninsula in historic joint statement
Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in say they will bring about formal end to 1950-53 conflict, with view to signing peace treaty later this year
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.North and South Korea will begin talks aimed at signing a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War 65 years after hostilities ceased, Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in have announced.
Mr Moon and Mr Kim said they would hold three- or four-way discussions with the US and possibly China on bringing a formal end to the 1950-53 conflict, with a view to signing the treaty later this year.
The two Koreas have also agreed to rid the peninsula of nuclear weapons during a historic summit between their leaders at the border truce village of Panmunjom.
The leaders of North and South Korea signed a joint declaration on Friday agreeing to work for the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula".
At their first summit in more than a decade, the two sides announced they would seek an agreement to establish "permanent" and "solid" peace on the peninsula.
The declaration included promises to pursue military arms reduction, cease "hostile acts", turn their fortified border into a "peace zone", and seek multilateral talks with other countries, such as the US.
Earlier, Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in poured a mixture of soil and water from both countries onto a pine tree they planted at a truce village as a symbol of peace before resuming their highly anticipated summit.
Mr Kim and Mr Moon also unveiled a stone plaque placed next to the tree that was engraved with a message saying "Peace and Prosperity Are Planted."
The pine tree dates to 1953, the year the Korean War ended in an armistice. The soil and water were brought from the Koreas' mountains and rivers.
The leaders then talked while walking unaccompanied on a nearby bridge before they are expected to resume the afternoon session of their summit at Panmunjom.
Mr Kim at one point was seen waving away photographers as he and Mr Moon continued their talks sitting on chairs placed at the bridge.
Conservative politicians in South Korea have criticised the joint statement issued by the leaders of the Koreas, saying Seoul let Pyongyang off the hook by failing to secure a clear commitment to discarding its nuclear weapons.
Hong Joon-pyo, chairman of the Liberty Korea Part, took to Facebook to denounce the summit as a "show camouflaged as peace" and said it was as if Mr Moon "wrote down the words Kim called out."
The party's spokeswoman, Jun Hee-kyung, criticised Mr Moon for agreeing to a statement calling for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula instead of the North's nuclear disarmament.
For decades, North Korea has vowed to pursue nuclear development unless Washington removes its troops from the peninsula and the nuclear umbrella protecting South Korea and Japan.
Mr Moon's liberal Minjoo Party called the statement a "historic triumph" which can help set up successful talks between Mr Kim and Donald Trump on the nuclear issue.
Kim Jong-un has returned to North Korea, ending summit which saw him make history by setting foot on South Korean soil.
Nato's chief is hailing the meeting between the leaders of the two Koreas, but insists international sanctions against North Korea should remain in place until it curbs its nuclear ambitions.
The alliance's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said the meeting between the two leaders "is a very important first step" that resulted from international pressure, notably economic sanctions.
He said "sanctions should remain in place until we see a real change."
Mr Stoltenberg underlined that "there is a long way to go before we see a full resolution to the crisis."
Pop music blared as Mr Kim and Mr Moon grasped each other's hands during a lavish farewell ceremony at the border.
Photos of their summit were projected onto a massive screen installed in front of the building where they met at the truce village of Panmunjom.
Mr Kim then boarded a black Mercedes Benz limousine which drove him back into North Korea.
Here's a timeline of how the words used by Kim Jong-un, Donald Trump and Moon Jae-in have changed over the last year, courtesy of the Press Association:
1 January, 2017: Kim Jong-un says the country's preparations for launching an intercontinental ballistic missile have "reached the final stage".
2 January: President-elect Donald Trump tweets: "North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the US It won't happen!"
9 May: Moon Jae-in becomes the first liberal to take office in Seoul in a decade after winning a presidential by-election. In his inauguration speech, he proposes talks with Mr Kim, saying, "I am willing to go anywhere for the peace of the Korean peninsula - if needed, I will fly immediately to Washington. I will go to Beijing and I will go to Tokyo. If the conditions shape up, I will go to Pyongyang."
4 July: North Korea conducts its first flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, which Mr Kim declares part of the North's "package of gifts" for US Independence Day.
6 July: Mr Moon in a speech in Berlin criticises North Korea's nuclear weapons programme, but also offers a "brighter future" for the North if it agrees to a "complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation". He says Seoul will not push for regime change in the North, adding: "We do not wish for North Korea's collapse, and will not work toward any kind of unification through absorption." The North ignores his proposal for talks on military and humanitarian issues for months.
9 August: Mr Trump says North Korea had better not make more threats or "they will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen". North Korea hours later announces a plan to launch a salvo of missiles toward the US territory of Guam, a major military hub in the Pacific, to "wring the windpipes of the Yankees". That salvo never happened.
15 August: Mr Moon in a televised speech says Seoul will "put everything on the line to prevent another war on the Korean peninsula" and that the North Korean nuclear problem should "absolutely be solved peacefully".
3 September: North Korea conducts its sixth and most powerful nuclear test, which it says was a detonation of a thermonuclear warhead designed for ICBMs. Mr Moon vows to ramp up South Korea's capabilities and says dialogue between the Koreas has become "impossible".
19 September: Mr Trump tells the UN General Assembly the US would "totally destroy North Korea" if forced to defend itself or its allies. He refers to Mr Kim as "Rocket Man" and says he is "on a suicide mission for himself".
22 September: Mr Kim accuses Mr Trump of "mentally deranged behaviour". He says he will "surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire".
1 January, 2018: Mr Kim says in his New Year address that he has a nuclear button on his desk, but also calls for improved relations with South Korea. Mr Trump responds that he has a bigger and more powerful nuclear button, "and my Button works!"
9 January: North and South Korean officials meet in the border village of Panmunjom, and agree on North Korea sending athletes and delegates to the Winter Olympics. North Korea sends hundreds of people to the games, including Mr Kim's sister, who conveys her brother's desire for a summit with Mr Moon.
7 March: After visiting Mr Kim in Pyongyang, South Korean presidential national security director Chung Eui-yong says Mr Kim is willing to discuss the fate of his nuclear arsenal with the US and has expressed a readiness to suspend nuclear and missile tests during such talks.
9 March: Mr Trump accepts Mr Kim's invitation to meet, which the White House says will take place by the end of May.
April 18: Mr Trump confirms his CIA chief secretly met Mr Kim in North Korea and said "a good relationship was formed" heading into the adversaries' anticipated summit.
19 April: Mr Moon says Mr Kim has not asked for the withdrawal of US troops from the Korean peninsula as a precondition for abandoning his nuclear weapons. If true, this would seem to remove a major sticking point to a potential disarmament deal.
21 April: North Korea says it has suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests and plans to close its nuclear test site as part of a move to shift its national focus and improve its economy. Mr Trump tweets: "This is very good news for North Korea and the World" and "big progress!"
25 April: Mr Trump says Mr Kim wants a historic, high-stakes meeting as soon as possible and that he has been "very open and I think very honourable from everything we're seeing".
27 April: Mr Kim and Mr Moon meet at the border village of Panmunjom.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments