U.S. President Donald Trump, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met at Panmunjom on June 30. The leaders of North Korea and the United States, countries once at war, shook hands for peace at Panmunjom, a symbol of division, for the first time since they signed the Armistice Agreement in 1953. The two leaders faced each other and shook hands over a 5cm-wide border dividing the North and the South at Panmunjom. They then stepped over the border and entered North Korea, a country that the U.S. refers to as a hostile state. It was the moment of the century, as an incumbent president of the United States stepped on North Korean soil after shaking hands with the North Korean leader at Panmunjom, the frontline of division and also a historic site where the Armistice Agreement was signed 66 years ago. The two leaders then returned to the South and met with President Moon Jae-in, who was waiting in front of the Freedom House. A historic trilateral meeting of North and South Korea and the U.S., which had existed only in our imagination, was realized at Panmunjom. Chairman Kim Jong-un and President Trump entered the Freedom House on the South side of Panmunjom and had a private meeting for nearly an hour. It was practically a third North Korea-U.S. summit. The two leaders had met twice before, in Singapore last June and in Hanoi in February. The brief meeting at Panmunjom was indeed short, without any statement or agreement, but given the historical venue, the last place where the Cold War remains ongoing, it was indeed a major event that would decorate a page of history.

"Yesterday, I was just thinking, ‘I am here, let's see whether we can say hello to Kim Jong-un,’" President Trump said. "I put the word out and he got back," he added and explained how the latest meeting came to happen. However, given that President Trump and Chairman Kim had exchanged "interesting messages" in their letters in June, it seems the two may have shared their thoughts on this meeting even before the G20 summit. Nevertheless, that the two leaders were able to engage in the informal talks--nearly an hour long and more than an exchange of greetings--shows the strength of their friendship and trust. It also shows that their relationship is a solid foundation for N.K.-U.S. relations. It is undeniable that the latest meeting was possible due to the determination of the two leaders, who want to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula in a top-down manner. We applaud their courage and will.

The Panmunjom talks did not end as an event, but also achieved substantial outcomes. The biggest would be the resuming of working-level negotiations between the two countries. President Trump said, "We've agreed that we're each going to designate a team. The teams will try to work out some details." The surprise meeting in Panmunjom led to the two countries resuming dialogue. President Trump also invited the North Korean leader to the White House. President Moon said, "The process for peace on the Korean Peninsula has climbed over a big obstacle." The bright faces of the three leaders leaving the Freedom House led to expectations for the negotiations between North Korea and the United States.

The South Korea-United States summit at Cheong Wa Dae ahead of the meeting with North Korea also raised expectations for the "peace process" on the Korean Peninsula. In a joint press conference after the talks, President Moon said, "We agree that it is very important to concurrently implement the Singapore Agreement, which pledged to completely denuclearize and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula and to establish normal relations between North Korea and the United States." This means that they will implement the issues in the Singapore Agreement--denuclearization, establishment of peace, and building a normal relationship between the North and the U.S.--simultaneously, which is a difference from the previous attitude shown by the U.S. when pressing the North to dismantle its nuclear weapons first. However, a concurrent implementation is not fully consistent with the phased and simultaneous actions that the North had demanded, so it is necessary to see the results of the working-level talks.

President Trump spoke on the easing of sanctions on North Korea and said, "I'm in no rush." He also said, "Speed is not the object, we want to see if we can do a really comprehensive, good deal," when addressing the press after his meeting with the North Korean leader. His words seem to suggest that he will put more weight on the actual outcomes in the future negotiations despite the friendly mood displayed at Panmunjom. North Korea and the U.S. both confirmed that their differences were significant in the second summit in Hanoi, so it is difficult to be optimistic and expect the working level talks to be smooth sailing. Experts also claim that we shouldn't be too hasty in getting our hopes up. But there is probably no objection to the fact that a private meeting of the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. after a four-month standstill in bilateral talks following the fruitless Hanoi summit will play a big role in setting the direction and providing the drive for future negotiations.

The Panmunjom meeting between the two leaders once again reminds us that imagination and creativity that go beyond conventional common sense are required to tear down the thick wall of the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula. When considering normal diplomatic practices and protocol, it was a meeting that could never have happened--a meeting that was made possible by the radical ideas of the two leaders and one that gave great hope to the Korean Peninsula and the international community. We hope the working-level talks that will soon resume can also bring about peace on the Korean Peninsula through bold imagination and wisdom, not bound to existing practices. If it is difficult to lift sanctions, the two countries may be able to resolve the problem with corresponding measures to guarantee the North Korean regime's safety, such as the installation of a North Korea-United States liaison office or the signing of a non-aggression treaty.

The Panmunjom meeting of North Korea and the United States could not have been possible without the full support of the Moon Jae-in government. North Korea's relationship with the U.S. can only advance smoothly when the North builds a good relationship and fully communicates with the South. We ask the North to actively engage in inter-Korean talks following the Panmunjom meeting. North Korea will have fully realized that the process for peace on the Korean Peninsula is a journey with the United States and South Korea.