Moon-Kim summit to discuss denuclearization of Korean Peninsula

Friday will witness the historic third summit between North and South Korea. All eyes turn to the border village of Panmunjom, where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will cross the military demarcation line to become the first North Korean leader to set foot on South Korean soil since the Korean War ended in armistice in 1953.

Kim is expected to be greeted by South Korean President Moon Jae-in in front of the line, marked only by a low concrete slab on a narrow aisle between blue pavilions sitting in the middle of Panmunjom and spanning the two Koreas. It will be broadcast live to the entire world from the very first scene in which the two leaders shake hands.

The Moon-Kim summit has a historic meaning as denuclearization of the peninsula is forecast to be on the main dialogue agenda for the leaders’ meeting of the rival Koreas for the first time. Previous interKorean summits were focused on the meeting itself of the leaders, inter-Korean relations and cooperation. The denuclearization process was discussed in the form of six-party talks, which involved the two Koreas, China, the US, Russia and Japan, but have been suspended since late 2008.

The North Korean leader showed his willingness to commit to denuclearization talks. According to a press release announced after Moon’s special envoys met Kim in Pyongyang in early March, the North Korea side made it clear that it has no reason to possess a nuclear program if its security is guaranteed and military threats are removed.

Kim said at the third plenary meeting of the seventh central committee of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea last week that his country will discontinue nuclear and missile tests, announcing the closure of its main nuclear testing facility in Punggye-ri, where all of its six nuclear tests were conducted.

Another important matter high on the agenda of the Moon-Kim summit is setting the stage for a peace process on the Korean Peninsula.

The Blue House of South Korea has been preparing for the summit under the slogan of “Peace, a New Start.” Moon said at a summit preparations, “Let’s make a new history of peace beyond division and confrontation.”

Moon’s office said last week that it was reviewing ways to turn the armistice agreement into a peace agreement, raising expectations that the declaration of an end to the Korean War can be made after the summit.

The Korean Armistice Agreement was signed on July 27, 1953. As part of the efforts to launch the peace process, Moon and Kim would possibly agree to pull guard posts and heavy weapons out of the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) which is filled with razor-blade fences, tank traps, mines and watchtowers as well as hundreds of thousands of combatready troops.

Humanitarian issues can also be discussed, including the reunion of families separated across the heavily guarded border. Since the Korean War ended with armistice, people from the two sides have been banned from visiting and contacting each other.

Discussions on inter-Korean economic cooperation are likely to be limited given the international sanctions on the North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. The issue cannot be on the dialogue table until the denuclearization talks progress, experts say.