Background:
Kim Jong-un became the first North Korean leader since the 1950-53 Korean War to set foot in South Korea, after shaking hands with South Korean President Moon Jae-in over a concrete curb marking the border in the heavily fortified demilitarised zone.
The two Koreas announced they would work with the U.S. and China this year to declare an official end to the 1950s Korean War and seek an agreement on “permanent” and “solid” peace.
The Panmunjom Declaration, named after the truce village that hosted the talks, included promises to pursue phased arms reduction, cease hostile acts, transform their fortified border into a peace zone and seek multilateral talks with other countries, including the U.S.
Korean War
- The Korean War was a war between North Korea (with the support of China and the Soviet Union) and South Korea (with the principal support of the United States).
- The war began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea following a series of clashes along the border.
- The United Nations, with the United States as the principal force, came to the aid of South Korea. China came to the aid of North Korea, and the Soviet Union also gave some assistance to the North.
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Panmunjom Declaration
The leaders of North and South Korea on Friday signed the “Panmunjom Declaration” following a historic summit between the two countries, which are technically still at war.
Here are the key quotes from the official English language version of the statement, which came after the first summit between the two sides in 11 years.
‘Denuclearization’
- “South and North Korea confirmed the common goal of realising, through complete denuclearization, a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.
- South and North Korea shared the view that the measures being initiated by North Korea are very meaningful and crucial for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and agreed to carry out their respective roles and responsibilities in this regard.
- South and North Korea agreed to actively seek the support and cooperation of the international community for the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.”
‘Peace regime’
- “During this year that marks the 65th anniversary of the Armistice, South and North Korea agreed to actively pursue trilateral meetings involving the two Koreas and the United States, or quadrilateral meetings involving the two Koreas, the United States and China with a view to declaring an end to the War, turning the Armistice into a peace treaty, and establishing a permanent and solid peace regime.”
‘Pyongyang visit’
- “The two leaders agreed, through regular meetings and direct telephone conversations, to hold frequent and candid discussions on issues vital to the nation, to strengthen mutual trust and to jointly endeavour to strengthen the positive momentum towards continuous advancement of inter-Korean relations as well as peace, prosperity and unification of the Korean Peninsula.
- In this context, President Moon Jae-In agreed to visit Pyongyang this fall.”
‘Family reunions’
- “South and North Korea agreed to endeavour to swiftly resolve the humanitarian issues that resulted from the division of the nation, and to convene the Inter-Korean Red Cross Meeting to discuss and solve various issues including the reunion of separated families.
- In this vein, South and North Korea agreed to proceed with reunion programs for the separated families on the occasion of the National Liberation Day of August 15 this year.”
‘Joining sporting forces’
- “On the international front, the two sides agreed to demonstrate their collective wisdom, talents and solidarity by jointly participating in international sporting events such as the 2018 Asian Games.”
‘Disarmament’
- “South and North Korea agreed to carry out disarmament in a phased manner, as military tension is alleviated and substantial progress is made in military confidence-building.”
‘No more war’
- “The two leaders solemnly declared before the 80 million Korean people and the whole world that there will be no more war on the Korean Peninsula and thus a new era of peace has beg