North and South Korean leaders agree to denuclearisation of peninsula in historic joint statement
Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in say they will bring about formal end to 1950-53 conflict, with view to signing peace treaty later this year
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Your support makes all the difference.North and South Korea will begin talks aimed at signing a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War 65 years after hostilities ceased, Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in have announced.
Mr Moon and Mr Kim said they would hold three- or four-way discussions with the US and possibly China on bringing a formal end to the 1950-53 conflict, with a view to signing the treaty later this year.
The two Koreas have also agreed to rid the peninsula of nuclear weapons during a historic summit between their leaders at the border truce village of Panmunjom.
The leaders of North and South Korea signed a joint declaration on Friday agreeing to work for the "complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula".
At their first summit in more than a decade, the two sides announced they would seek an agreement to establish "permanent" and "solid" peace on the peninsula.
The declaration included promises to pursue military arms reduction, cease "hostile acts", turn their fortified border into a "peace zone", and seek multilateral talks with other countries, such as the US.
Earlier, Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in poured a mixture of soil and water from both countries onto a pine tree they planted at a truce village as a symbol of peace before resuming their highly anticipated summit.
Mr Kim and Mr Moon also unveiled a stone plaque placed next to the tree that was engraved with a message saying "Peace and Prosperity Are Planted."
The pine tree dates to 1953, the year the Korean War ended in an armistice. The soil and water were brought from the Koreas' mountains and rivers.
The leaders then talked while walking unaccompanied on a nearby bridge before they are expected to resume the afternoon session of their summit at Panmunjom.
Mr Kim at one point was seen waving away photographers as he and Mr Moon continued their talks sitting on chairs placed at the bridge.
Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, welcomed the Kim-Moon summit but said he fully expected Pyongyang to fulfill its promises.
He said Japan would "absolutely not" be left out of the denuclearisation process and would stay in close contact with Washington and Seoul on the issue.
Another key aspect of the summit was that North and South Korean officials - not just Mr Kim and Mr Moon - met and spoke in full view of the world's media, Dr Nilsson-Wright told The Independent.
Donald Trump - after first sending a tweet about James Comey's memos - has caught up with the news from the Korean peninsula.
He said:
China has welcomed the joint statement by the leaders of North and South Korea.
In a statement, its foreign ministry said China hoped all parties can maintain the momentum for dialogue and can jointly promote the political resolution process for the Korean peninsula.t.
China is willing to keep playing a proactive role in this regard, it added.
Russia's foreign ministry has said the Kremlin is ready to facilitate practical cooperation between North and South Korea in the areas of railways, and gas and electrical energy.
Boris Johnson has welcomed Friday's developments on the Korean peninsula but says Pyongyang must now take "concrete steps" toward denuclearisation.
It echoes the sentiment expressed earlier by Japan's Shinzo Abe.
In a fuller statement, Mr Johnson said: "I welcome the announcement that the two Koreas will work towards the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation of North Korea, improve bilateral ties and reduce border tensions.
"This historic summit is not the end in itself. There are still many questions to be answered.
"Kim Jong Un's commitment to halt all nuclear and intercontinental and intermediate range ballistic missiles tests is a positive step. We hope this indicates an intention to negotiate in good faith and that Kim has heeded the clear message to North Korea that only a change of course can bring the security and prosperity it claims to seek.
"The UK will continue to work with our international partners to strictly enforce existing sanctions until such time that North Korea turns its commitments into concrete steps towards denuclearisation."
Donald Trump has thanked his "good friend", Xi Jinping, for his efforts in de-escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula.
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