North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un made history Friday as he strolled across his country’s heavily armed border with South Korea and met with its president, President Moon Jae-in, for historic talks aimed at denuclearization on the peninsula.
In the highly choreographed event, Kim became the first leader of the North since the 1950-1953 Korean War to set foot in the South when he emerged from a building in the village of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized Zone and strode down a wide flight of stairs to meet Moon.
Kim and Moon shook hands and smiled, acting like old friends — in a scene belying the tension and high stakes of the North-South talks.
As Kim stepped over into the South, he invited Moon to set foot in the North for a moment. The South Korean leader obliged before Kim crossed back into the South.
Kim was greeted by South Korean children with flowers and a military honor guard as the leaders headed to the “Freedom House,” a building on the south side of the DMZ.
The rotund Kim, who appeared to be out of breath, stopped to sign the building’s guest book with the words: “A new history begins from now, at the starting point of an era of peace.”
The pair talked in private until lunchtime, before taking a break with plans to meet again in the afternoon.
The highly anticipated Korean summit comes just weeks ahead of Kim’s anticipated meeting with President Trump. There have been only two other summit meetings between the North and South, in 2000 and 2007, both in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang.
This latest meeting comes as Kim’s regime has escalated its rhetoric and missile testing in recent years.
“Moon has been keeping on an even keel despite a slew of hurdles that could derail his policy drive, the centerpiece of which is to address the longstanding nuclear standoff with Pyongyang,” said South Korean security expert Park Won-gon.
Speaking Thursday morning, Trump projected a tough negotiating stance toward the North.
“It could be that I walk out quickly, with respect, but it could be,” Trump said on “Fox and Friends.” “It could be that maybe the meeting doesn’t even take place. Who knows?”