A Korea defining moment
FRESH START Aide sprays disinfectant before Mr Moon watches Kim sign visitor’s book NORTH Korean dictator Kim Jongun hugged South Korean President Moon Jae-in as the world breathed a sigh of relief at a historic summit between the warring countries.
Kim, believed to be close to having nuclear weapons that could hit the West, said his heart “was throbbing” as he crossed the demilitarised zone into the South and became the first North Korean leader to set foot on enemy soil in 67 years.
The two men promised to strive for “complete de-nuclearisation of the Korean peninsula” and said they would work with the US and China to formally end the Korean War, replacing it with a “permanent” peace.
Three years of fighting ended with the 1953 armistice but the nations are still technically at war. Kim, in recent years seen clapping with joy at the launch of his missiles, arrived armed with nothing more sinister than a present of North Korean noodles.
He joked with President Moon: “We won’t interrupt your early morning sleep any more” – a reference to 5am air-raid warnings triggered by the test launch of the North’s rockets.
Millions watched on TV as smiling Kim, dressed in his usual high-buttoned black suit, strode ahead of aides towards the border at the village of Panmunjom.
Without hesitating, he stepped into the South and shook hands with a beaming Mr Moon, telling him: “Walking here, I wondered why it has taken so long.” Then came an unscripted moment. Mr Moon asked: “When do I get to visit the North? Kim replied: “Why don’t you just come over now?”
Taking Mr Moon’s hand, he guided