2018 inter-Korean summit facts for kids
The 2018 inter-Korean summit was a very important meeting between the leaders of South Korea and North Korea. It happened on April 27, 2018. The leaders were Moon Jae-in, who was the President of South Korea, and Kim Jong-un, who is the Supreme Leader of North Korea.
This special meeting took place in the Joint Security Area, which is a place on the border between the two countries. It was the third time the leaders of North and South Korea had met. The last meeting was eleven years before this one.
It was also a big moment because it was the first time a North Korean leader had stepped into South Korean territory since the Korean War ended in 1953. President Moon also briefly walked into North Korean territory during the meeting. The main goal of the summit was to talk about North Korea's nuclear weapons and how to make the Korean Peninsula free of them. After the meeting, they signed an agreement called the Panmunjom Declaration.
What Was Discussed at the Summit?
Before the main meeting, officials from both Koreas met on April 4 to plan everything. They met at a place called the Peace House. The main things they wanted to talk about were:
- Getting rid of nuclear weapons (denuclearization).
- Making lasting peace between the two countries.
- Making their relationship better for everyone.
Some groups wanted them to discuss human rights issues in North Korea. Japan's Prime Minister also wanted them to talk about Japanese citizens who had been taken by North Korea. However, these topics were not included in the final discussions.
The Historic Meeting
The meeting took place at the Peace House. This building is located just south of the border, in the Joint Security Area of Panmunjeom. North Korea agreed to this location, which South Korea had suggested.
It was a truly historic moment when Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, stepped onto South Korean land. This was the first time a North Korean leader had done this. The two leaders shook hands right over the border line. This moment was shown live on TV. President Moon even accepted an invitation from Kim to briefly step onto the North Korean side of the border. Then, they walked together to the Peace House.
During the summit, the leaders did more than just talk. They also planted a tree together. They used soil and water from both North and South Korea for the tree. They also shared a special meal. Many parts of the meeting were planned to be symbolic. For example, their meeting table was shaped like an oval and measured 2,018 millimeters. This was to represent the year the summit took place.
Agreements and Joint Press Conference
After their talks, Kim and Moon held a joint press conference. They made several promises about working together and achieving peace. A very important promise was to work towards making the Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons. However, Kim did not directly say he would give up North Korea's nuclear weapons.
The leaders also agreed to turn the Korean Armistice Agreement into a full peace treaty later that year. The armistice agreement ended the fighting in the Korean War in 1953. A peace treaty would formally end the war after 65 years.
Other important agreements included:
- Ending all "hostile activities" between their countries.
- Starting up meetings again for families who were separated by the border.
- Making connections better along their shared border.
- Stopping the loud propaganda broadcasts that were sent across the border.
This important agreement was called the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula. Both leaders signed it in the South Korean border village of Panmunjom.
The press conference was shown live on South Korean TV. However, people in North Korea could not watch it live. This is because North Korea usually does not broadcast live events that involve its leader.
The leaders also promised to talk more often. President Moon was also invited to visit Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, later that year.
