North-South Korea Historical Summit: Time Zone Changing, Nuclear Pledge + 6 Other Things You Need to Know About Kim Jong-un Visit (UPD)
South Korea’s president meets with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in a historic summit. Here are all important facts and interesting details you need to know about this meeting.
Updated April 30:
The North and South Korean summit set a number of changes for two counties.
The most important thing is that North Korea vows to shut down nuclear site in May.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s spokesman says Kim Jong-un offered to close the North’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site in May.
Also, North Korea announced the country will move its clocks 30 minutes forward to sync its time zone with South Korea. Some experts perceive this as a conciliatory gesture.
Kim Jong Un, via the Blue House: “There were two different clocks in the reception hall at Peace House. One was for Seoul time and the other for Pyongyang time, which made my heart heavy…Let’s first unify the two different times of the two Koreas.”
Source: newsx.tv
The historic summit
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met face-to-face with South Korean President Moon Jae-in for the first time in eleven years. Two leaders attend the inter-Korean summit in the truce zone of Panmunjom.
This is an important event as everybody expect the two countries will engage in peace talks and discuss the North’s nuclear weapons program.
Also, the North-South gathering set the stage for a future conference with US President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.
Here you can follow the latest news from the summit and the most memorable moments.
Signing a peace treaty
North and South Korea agreed to pursue signing a peace treaty and work towards “complete” denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The announcement was made at the end of a historic meeting on Friday.
Despite the two previous Korean summits — the last occurred in 2007 — it marked the first time any leader of North Korea has set foot in South Korea.
“We would like to settle a permanent peace… Using one language, one culture, one history, North and South Korea will be joined as one nation,” Kim said.
Kim and Moon also announced a number of other actions, including: ending all propaganda broadcastsand leaflet drops along the border, the creation of a joint liaison office for the two countries, and to hold four-way talks with the US and China.
The two countries will also resume family reunions on August 15 and hold joint holiday celebrations moving forwards. The Demilitarized Zone will also be “transformed” into a “peace zone.”
Source: Screenshot/ Reuters TV
Shaking hands
As Kim crossed into the South, he shook hands with Moon before bringing his counterpart back over the border to the North for another handshake. They then held hands and crossed back into the South, where Kim was met with an honor guard.
Interesting that Kim seems to went off the script. After shaking hands with Moon and stepping across the border line, Kim invited Moon to step back into North Korea with him.
that moment when Kim Jong Un asked Moon Jae In to also cross the border to the North side so he grabs his hand and they cross together&talk and cross to the South side again while holding hands. #interkoreansummit pic.twitter.com/YaMDKuEv10
— ʎǝᴏɯɯɪǝ 내가먼저 (@two_oh_teen) April 27, 2018
A symbolic tree
When such huge even happens there’s a place for symbolism, of course. Moon Jae-in and Kim Jong Un planted a commemorative pine tree “as an expression of wishes for peace and prosperity” during their diplomatic summit on Friday.
Source: Reuters
In addition to the tree, a stone plaque with an engraving that said “Peace and Prosperity Are Planted,” was affixed nearby.
Security
After Kim and the South Korean president Moon Jae-in had spent a couple hours participating in celebratory exercises and diplomatic meetings, the North Korean leader departed for lunch. Interesting, that 12 bodyguards flanked his official limousine and ran alongside it as it drove back onto the North Korean side of the border.
Source: Korea Summit Press Pool/Getty Images
The only woman at the summit table
The only woman set at the summit table was Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, who has become one of the most recognizable North Korean officials after her appearance at the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Source: Getty Images
What’s on the menu?
As the two Koreas met for the first time, the South has prepared a dinner menu imbued with meaning, including a Swiss-style rosti potato pancake intended to pay homage to Kim Jong-un’s teenage years in Switzerland. While most people might think the menu seems harmless, one item has attracted criticism from Japan.
South Korean president bets the way to Kim Jong Un’s heart is through his stomach. This is what's on the menu for Friday's summit https://t.co/bUbzj10F3O pic.twitter.com/8IcejXKvli
— Anna Fifield (@annafifield) April 24, 2018
The Blue House has released photos of the official courses that Kim Jong Un and President Moon Jae-in will be enjoying Friday night at the #interkoreansummit banquet #평화회담 pic.twitter.com/1aAK6oj3LA
— NK NEWS (@nknewsorg) April 24, 2018
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