Inter-Korean Summit- North's Kim Jong-un meets South's Moon

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is meeting South Korean President Moon Jae-in for a historic North-South Korea summit to improve bilateral relations. Catch the latest updates here

A prospect that seemed unthinkable just a few months ago has become a reality. At a historic summit, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, clad in his trademark black Mao suit, met South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the world's most heavily armed border on Friday morning. The two leaders spontaneously shook hands and posed for the photographs at the Demarcation Line Zone dividing the North from the South. Both Kim and Moon headed to the Panmunjom's Peace House, where the official historic summit will take place."I am happy to meet you," Moon Jae-in told Kim Jong-un, ABC report said.Kim Jong-un has become the first North Korean leader to cross over to the southern side of the Demilitarised Zone since the Korean War ended in 1953. Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in have decided to hold talks over the subjects of worldwide implications -- the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, a formal peace agreement and the improvement of bilateral relations. The outcomes of this meeting will likely help determine the possible future meeting with Donald Trump and Kim. The North's nuclear arsenal will be high on the agenda at the highly anticipated summit talks.

Here are the top developments on the historic summit meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in:

1. Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in come face-to-face: The scenes that unfolded at the

Panmunjom truce village on Friday were unimaginable a few months earlier. South Korean President Moon Jae-in greeted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the military demarcation line at 9:30 am local time (0030 GMT), making Kim the first North Korean leader to set foot in South Korea since the 1950-53 Korean War. “I had so many mixed feelings as I was crossing the demarcation line,” Kim spoke before live television cameras, reported The Age.

2. The focus of the leadership summit talks: The leadership meeting is likely to facilitatenegotiations over Kim Jong-un’s commitment of denuclearisation of nuclear weapons programme. The summit is the result of months of diplomatic negotiations and discussions to make North Korea freeze and denuclearise its nuclear arsenals permanently.Last year Pyongyang carried out its sixth nuclear blast, by far its most powerful to date, and launched missiles capable of reaching the US mainland. Its actions sent tensions soaring as Kim and Trump traded personal insults and threats of war. Moon Jae-in had seized on the South's Winter Olympics as an opportunity to broker dialogue with North Korea and had observed that his meeting with Kim will serve to set up the summit between Pyongyang and Washington.
3. Will North Korea denuclearise its nuclear arsenal?: If North Korea fulfils its commitment to completely dismantle the development of nuclear weapons and missiles, initiated by his grandfather, it would mean a significant reversal for the young Korean leader who has staked his security on his nuclear arsenal and spent years celebrating such weapons as an integral part of his regime’s legitimacy and power. South Korea said the rogue regime’s decision signified "meaningful" progress toward denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and would create favourable conditions for successful talks.
4. North Korea's nuclear test site collapses: Research by Chinese geologists shows the mountain above North Korea's main nuclear test site has collapsed, rendering it unsafe for further testing and requiring that it be monitored for any leaking radiation, reported AP. This may shed new light on North Korean President Kim Jong Un's announcement that his country was ceasing its nuclear testing programme.
5. Donald Trump hails North Korea’s commitment for denuclearisation: After the announcement about the suspension of the nuclear testing by the North Korea, US President Donald Trump tweeted, "This is very good news for North Korea and the World" and "big progress!" He also said he's looking forward to his upcoming summit with Kim.

ARTICLE SOURCE- BUSINESS STANDARD.