In a historical accord, North and South Korean Leaders vow to end the long Korean War

Seoul, April 27: Punctuating a day of smiles and handshakes at the first inter-Korean summit in more than a decade, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in embraced after pledged to work for the “complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.”

The two Koreas announced they would work with the United States and China this year to declare an official end to the 1950s Korean war and seek an agreement to establish “permanent” and “solid” peace in its place.

Signing the gesture of ending the long decade combat, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong Un, signed the "Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification on the Korean Peninsula," at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that has divided the two countries for more than six decades. 

The declaration included promises to pursue phased military arms reduction, cease hostile acts, transform their fortified border into a peace zone, and seek multilateral talks with other countries including the United States.

The declaration believed, “The two leaders declare before our people of 80 million and the entire world there will be no more war on the Korean peninsula and a new age of peace has begun.”

Earlier, Kim became the first North Korean leader since the 1950-53 Korean War to set foot in South Korea after shaking hands with his counterpart over a concrete curb marking the border in the heavily fortified demilitarized zone between the countries.

The declaration also included: ​

· Quadrilateral meetings to be held with the Koreas, the US and China "with a view to declaring and end to the War."

· All hostile acts will be ceased, and the demilitarization zone will be turned into a "peace zone."

· A commitment to reunite families separated by the war with family reunion programs to resume on August 15 this year.

· The establishment of a joint liaison office in Kaesong, a shared economic zone nears the border.

· Closer diplomatic relations between the two countries, at all levels of government.

· Joint teams to be sent to international events, starting with the 2018 Asian Games.

Expecting things to be on a peaceful note, The White House said in a statement prior to the summit that it was "hopeful that talks will achieve progress toward a future of peace and prosperity for the entire Korean Peninsula and looks forward to continuing robust discussions in preparation for the planned meeting between President Donald J. Trump and Kim Jong Un in the coming weeks."

 

Scenes of Moon and Kim joking and walking together marked a striking contrast to last year’s barrage of North Korean missile tests and its largest ever nuclear test that led to sweeping international sanctions and fears of a fresh conflict on the Korean peninsula.