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27th Apr 2018

WATCH: History is made as Kim Jong-un crosses into South Korea to meet President Moon Jae-in

A moment 65 years in the making

Conor Heneghan

A moment 65 years in the making

History was made on Friday when Kim Jong-un became the first North Korean leader to cross into South Korea since the end of the Korean War in 1953, 65 years ago.

At approximately 9.30am on Friday morning, Kim Jong-un met South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Military Demarcation Line dividing the two countries in the village of Panmunjom, also known as The Truce Village.

The pair shook hands and smiled upon meeting each other at the Demilitarized zone, with Moon Jae-in also joining hands with Kim Jong-un while briefly stepping foot in North Korea before they began their first round of negotiations.

Clip via Associated Press

Amongst the items up for discussion was denuclearisation, with Kim Jong-un reaffirming his promise to stop North Korean nuclear missile tests and expressing a desire for peace and for future meetings between the two nations.

Moon Jae-in said that “a very good discussion” took place during the first round of discussions, with a joint statement set to be released at the end of the day after the two leaders plant a tree together in a symbolic gesture and engage in a second round of negotiations.

The historic meeting comes a little over a month after it was confirmed that US President Donald Trump will meet with Kim Jong-un as early as next month in an effort to achieve permanent North Korean denuclearisation.