North and South Korea pledge to end war, seek denuclearization

On Friday, North and South Korea agreed to pursue the “complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula ” and work toward declaring an official end this year to the 1950s Korean war and establish a permanent peace agreement .

The summit of Kim Jong Un and Moon Jae-In was the first between the leaders of North and South Korea in more than a decade.

The leaders of the two Koreas planted a pine tree on the heavily fortified border dividing their countries as the afternoon session of their summit got underway.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in shoveled soil on the roots of the tree and unveiled a stone marker which read, “ Planting peace and prosperity ” above the leaders’ names and official titles.

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The meeting produced a day of dramatic images and a sweeping declaration of goodwill. But it was short on specific commitments and failed to clear up the question of whether Pyongyang is really willing to give up nuclear missiles that now threaten the United States .

In an event marked by smiles, handshakes, and embraces, they also promised to pursue phased arms reduction , cease hostile acts , transform their fortified border into a peace zone and seek talks involving other countries .

”The two leaders declare before our people of 80 million and the entire world there will be no more war on the Korean peninsula and a new age of peace has begun,” the two sides said.

But even as they agreed on a common goal of a “ nuclear-free ” peninsula, they stopped short of spelling out exactly what that meant or how it might come about.

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