The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made sure of his will for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula since he had no reason to keep the deadly weapons if his rule and the system were secured without any outer military threats, said on April 27th at the historic Inter-Korean Summit 2018 held at Panmunjom. Kim also made sure of no nuclear test and launching of missiles for as long as the dialogue was on the table. 

What are in the <Panmunjom Declaration of Peace, Prosperity and Unification in the Korean Peninsula>?

No more war on the Korean Peninsula but reconciliation, peace and prosperity

1. Overall and innovative improvement and development
1) Decisions are made by Koreans and  existing declarations and agreements must be implemented
2) Hold high official meetings and bring implantation plans in speed
3) Open Joint Liaison Office in Kaesong with permanent residence of officials  
4) Activate exchanges and cooperation in various fields publicly and privately 
5) Organize reunion of separated families and hold talks between the South and North Korean Red Cross Societies around August 15th 
6) Implement October 4th Agreement and connect and modernize railways and highways

2. Easing the military tension and removing the war risks
1) Stop hostile actions and turn the DMZ as a peace zone
2) Create a mutual fisheries zone in the West Sea
3) Hold defense ministers meeting on a regular basis and a general-level talk in May this year

3. Cooperation to create a strong and permanent peace system
1) Make sure to follow the no military force and non-aggression agreements
2) Gradually cut down armaments based on mutual trust
3) Declare the end of the war within this year and hold tripartite or four-way talks to build a permanent peace system
4) Make sure of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula 

Regularizing summit, wiring hot line and holding a summit in Pyongyang this autumn

Greetings
Moon met Kim at 10 a.m. at Panmunjom on the day. Greeting Kim with smile and shaking hands right behind the South border, Moon said “You just crossed over the South line. But when can I cross back to the North’s”. Kim responded “Shall we cross over the North line right now?” and Kim led Moon over the border hand in hand and they stayed there shortly. The warm greeting was followed by reviewing an honor guard and photo shoots. At the meeting, the two leaders spoke frankly about the issues and concerns starting with light subjects. “I heard from our team of the PyeongChang 2018 that KTX was excellent. North will be shamed if you visit the North (due to poor infrastructure)” said Kim. “We both can enjoy the benefit of high speed railways if connected. It actually is on the June 15th Agreement and October 4th Agreement but they have been buried for the last 10 years” said back Moon. Moon continued “Looking back in the past, speed is vital” and Kim said “We coined a word ‘speed battle’ and let us make it the barometer of the unification. Also, let us meet frequently and never go back to the square one ever again. Let us make a better Korea and I’m ready to do my best.”  

Planting a pine tree and strolling the foot bridge
Moon and Kim planted a pine tree on ‘Sottea-gil’ near the border between the South and the North. Sottea-gil is the road where former Chairman of Hyundai Group Chung Ju-yung (deceased) passed through with a herd of cows to visit the North in 1998. The tree was born in 1953, the year in which the ceasefire was signed. It symbolizes peace and prosperity and Moon and Kim blanked the tree with soils from Halla Mountain and Paektu Mountain. Just a little distance from the tree is a stone engraved with the letters “Planting Peace and Prosperity” alongside the names of the two leaders. The tree planting was followed by a stroll on the foot bridge. Moon and Kim took a seat on a bench along the way and talked for quite a while privately without any intrusion of others. 

Banquet and departing
A banquet took place as the last event of the day at 6:39 p.m. Moon and Kim and the first ladies and high officials of both parties were seated at the head table and the banquet was started with ‘heageum (Korean violin)’ playing ‘Nice To Meet You’, ‘From Seoul to Pyongyang’ and ‘Arirang’. The songs ‘Where the Wind Blows’ and ‘Spring of My Hometown’ were also sung by a child named Oh Yeon-jun and the heart-warming video footages of the summit were played. The departing took place on the garden at 8:30 p.m. Moon and Kim held hands firmly and exchanged smiles. The first ladies Kim and Lee also shared the overwhelming moment. The Moon couple saw the Kim couple to their car and the first ladies Kim and Lee embraced each other. “We will see you again” said the North leader Kim and they all looked forward to the next meeting. 

<Power Korea> ‘rewrites’ Korean article in ‘plain English’ with ‘key points’ 
Jon Kim powerkorea_j@naver.com