Two Koreas agree to end war this year, pursue denuclearisation

Bloomberg

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed on April 27 to finally end a seven-decade war this year, and pursue the “complete denucleariaation” of the Korean Peninsula.
US President Donald Trump hailed the move, declaring “KOREAN WAR TO END!” on Twitter. He’s agreed to meet with Kim at a time and place yet to be determined.
Kim and Moon embraced after signing the deal during a historic meeting on their militarised border, the first time a North Korean leader set foot on the southern side. They announced plans to replace the 1953 armistice that ended hostilities with a peace treaty by year’s end.
Their statement on a “common goal of realising, through complete denuclearisation, a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula,” stopped short of the “complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearnisation” long sought by the US and its allies. The statement didn’t elaborate on what the term meant and Kim didn’t personally utter the word during remarks.
“We have agreed to share a firm determination to open a new era in which all Korean people enjoy prosperity and happiness on a peaceful land without war,” Kim told reporters, without taking questions.
The agreement follows a rapid thaw in tensions on the peninsula after a flurry of North Korean missile tests and a hydrogen bomb detonation last year. The deal was expected to set up meeting soon between Kim and Trump soon, which would be the first summit between a North Korean leader and a sitting American president.
Still, it was Kim’s symbolism-laden encounter with Moon — the third summit between leaders of the nations since the Korean War and the first since 2007 — that captivated much of the world. The event marked Kim’s first live, unfiltered appearance on world television: South Koreans gathered around screens to watch Moon lead him past a military honour guard while a band played “Arirang,” an unofficial Korean anthem.
Moon said their agreement to seek a peace treaty represented a “fundamental change” for the peninsula. The leaders agreed to hold military talks next month and seek a “phased disarmament,” without providing details.
South Korea refused to participate in talks to end the Korean War, leaving an uneasy truce between North Korea and China on one side and United Nations forces — led by the US — on the other. Although China long ago withdrew its troops, more than 28,000 American personnel remained based in South Korea, which the Kim regime views as an enduring threat.

Kim summit location narrowed to two countries: Trump
Bloomberg

President Donald Trump said the list of potential locations for his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been narrowed to two countries.
“I don’t think he’s playing,” Trump said of Kim. The North Korean leader earlier on April 27 held a historic meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, where the two agreed to work towards formally ending their
war and pursue the “complete denuclearisation” of the Korean Peninsula.
“We will, I think, come up with a solution and, if we don’t, we leave the room with great respect and we just keep it going,” said Trump, speaking to reporters at the beginning of a meeting in the Oval Office with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Later, at a joint news conference with Merkel, the US president added that he and Kim “have a very good working relationship” and “a lot of good things are happening.”
Trump has said he hopes to meet with Kim by early June to try to resolve a stand-off between the US and North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. He had previously said the two countries were looking at five locations for the summit, which would be the first meeting between a North Korean leader and a sitting US president.