Kim-Trump summit faces big challenges

After a year of rising concerns about a possible conflict over the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear program, tensions on the Korean Peninsula have considerably eased. On April 27, DPRK leader Kim Jong-un and Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in held a historic meeting at the border village of Panmunjom. The meeting kicked off a new era of summit diplomacy and is likely to be followed by a summit between US President Donald Trump and Kim, which could pave the way for a new beginning on the Korean Peninsula.

The inter-Korean summit was a success by many measures, even if some of the key details remain to be worked out. In a break with the past, Kim agreed to meet Moon at the Peace House in the demilitarized zone, making him the first DPRK leader to travel south of the dimilitarized zone. There was also a frankness in how Kim spoke of the economic difficulties facing the DPRK.

But perhaps the most significant factor in the Panmunjom agreement was the two sides' commitment to realize denuclearization, which incidentally is the first direct reference to denuclearization in an inter-Korean document.