North and South Korea talk peace in historic summit

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met at a historic face-to-face summit Friday with both leaders crossing their borders to shake hands. At the end of the summit, the leaders announced additional plans to reconcile their nations but offered no details on the North’s nuclear weapons program. Kim began the day by stepping into the South to shake hands with Moon as schoolchildren bearing flowers and a military band welcomed him. Kim is the first North Korean leader to cross the demilitarized border since the end of the Korean War in 1953. He then invited Moon to cross briefly into the North before they returned for their meeting at the border village of Panmunjom. In a joint news conference, the leaders said they agreed to end all loudspeaker propaganda against each other by May 1. They also agreed to take measures to create a “peace zone” at their maritime border, which sees regular clashes. The nations will hold military talks in May to continue discussions about reducing tensions. The Koreas will open a permanent communication office in the border town of Kaesong and continue efforts to reunite families separated by the war. “I feel like I’m firing a flare at the starting line in the moment of writing a new history in North-South relations, peace, and prosperity,” Kim said during the meeting with Moon. Kim is expected to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in late May or early June. The White House in a statement said it is “hopeful that talks will achieve progress toward a future of peace and prosperity for the entire Korean Peninsula.”