■ KOREAN LEADERS AVOID SPECIFIC MEASURES TO ADDRESS NUKE CRISIS

Leaders of North and South Korea played it safe on Friday, repeating a previous vow to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons but failing to provide any specific measures or forge a potential breakthrough on an issue that has captivated and terrified many since the rivals seemed on the verge of war last year. In a sense, the vague joint statement produced by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in to achieve “a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization” kicks one of the world’s most pressing issues down the road to a much-anticipated summit between Kim and US President Donald Trump in coming weeks. Even so, the Koreas’ historic summit Friday might be remembered as much for the sight of two men from nations with a deep history of acrimony holding each other’s hands and grinning from ear to ear after Kim walked over the border to greet Moon, and then both briefly stepped together into the North and back.

After a year of tensions, the first North-South Korea summit in more than a decade began Friday with a handshake. Surrounded by bodyguards and other members of his delegation, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un emerged right on cue from a large building on the northern side of the border in the truce village of Panmunjom, walked down a wide flight of stairs and strolled confidently toward South Korean President Moon Jae-in to begin the historic meeting. Smiling broadly and exchanging greetings, the two shook hands for a long time, exchanging greetings and looking from outward appearances like old friends. Moon had awaited Kim’s arrival at “Freedom House,” a building on the southern side of the Demilitarized Zone.