Koreas summit a good first step, but much work will remain

Now that North and South Korea have agreed to hold their first summit in more than a decade, here's a word to the wise: Success isn't always defined by quick fixes to big, fundamental problems.

The agreement to hold a summit next month is a major step forward. There's a lot of room for breakthroughs and important progress between the Koreas themselves and maybe toward setting the stage for the next step - direct, high-level security talks between North Korea and the United States.

But despite the hype and spin that inevitably accompany this kind of news, it's a pretty safe bet North Korea isn't going to abandon its nuclear weapons program any time soon. For both sides, there are a lot of potential pitfalls. They have been down this road twice before and they both know the value of a healthy dose of caution.

A look at why this summit matters-even if it doesn't produce an immediate promise by Pyongyang to denuclearize-and what some of the next moves for the two Koreas and the United States might be:

This is a big "get" for both North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.It's been a tough, costly year for North Korea. All those missile launches-Kim was firing them off at a record pace in 2017-don't come cheaply. And Kim's outspoken defiance of President Donald Trump translated if nothing else into heavier sanctions and heightened isolation.

So improving relations with Seoul would give Kim some muchneeded breathing room.In the bigger picture, Kim wants to chip away at Washington's sanctions-oriented, "maximum pressure" policy. He will be looking to soften up Moon, and get him to agree to more cultural and economic exchanges that challenge Washington's efforts to isolate Kim's regime.

Moon, of course, is no political novice.He isn't likely to compromise his country's most important military and economic relationship, which is with Washington. But playing the peacemaker has the potential for a huge payoff, both for the future of his country and for his own political legacy.

Kim Jong Un may well also have a surprising "gift" up his sleeve-a headline-grabbing concession of some sort, possibly something involving the US, since that is what Moon wants most.

While Washington will loom in the offing, the summit between Kim and Moon is intended to be a Korea summit: the focus will be on Korea issues.One thing both sides could easily agree on is more reunions for families divided by the Korean War. The reunions are emotionally charged and not terribly political, so that would be lowhanging fruit.

The bigger theme will be on how to follow up after the two leaders go back home.