'A new beginning of history' on the Korean Peninsula

In a historic step - literally - Democratic People's Republic of Korea leader Kim Jong-un walked into the Republic of Korea and met with ROK President Moon Jae-in at Panmunjom truce village. The fact that Kim became the first DPRK leader to set foot on ROK soil since the armistice in the Korean War in 1953 will be etched in history irrespective of the ultimate outcome of the historical meeting between the two leaders.

The two sides had high expectations from the third inter-Korean summit and the first since 2007. And fittingly, the firm handshake between Kim and Moon, accompanied by the smiles on their faces, indicated "a new beginning of history", as the DPRK leader called it later.

By pledging to work for the "complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula", the two leaders laid to rest any doubts that the summit would fail to yield the desired results. The joint declaration pledged to restore peace on the peninsula by, among other things, pursuing phased arms reduction, ceasing hostile acts, transforming the fortified border into a peace zone, and seeking multilateral talks.