North Korean says it might support denuclearisation of Korean peninsula
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and envoys for South Korean President Moon Jae-in held "open hearted talks" in Pyongyang on Tuesday, with both countries agreeing to hold a summit in April and Pyongyang reportedly open to the denuclearisation of the peninsula - if it received credible security guarantees .
It's the first time that South Korean officials have met with the North Korean leader in person since 2011, following the death of the dictator's father.
Observers hoped the meeting might mark one further step towards a better relationship after a year of continuous weapon tests and threats of nuclear war against the US and its allies. North Korean media even reported that their leader intends to "write a new history of national reunifications."
Both countries have agreed to a summit in April that will herald the third inter-Korean summit, with the two previous gatherings between Kim Jong Un’s father and liberal South Korean presidents held in 2000 and 2007.
According to a South Korean delegate, officials from both sides broached the de-nuclearisation of the peninsula with Pyongyang reportedly open to that possibility if all military threats against it were accounted for and if it obtained a credible security guarantee.
Although the talks appeared to signal that real progress was being made on the diplomatic front, some are still wary that the peace will last long. For the South’s President, it is imperative for the North to rebuild bridges with Washington, Seoul’s top ally and protector.
According to a South Korean delegate in Tuesday's announcement North Korea has also said they are open to talking to the U.S. about scrapping nuclear bombs and normalize relations.
This could mean a change in opinion of North Korean authorites that have previously made clear on numerous occasions that they will not give up nuclear weapons and that they dislikes the US- South Korean war tests that will likely happen later this spring.
Moon told graduating students at the Korean Military Academy, just as his officials were wrapping up talks with North Korea, that although peace and negotiations are the key objective, South Koreans had to be able to defend themselves from an attack.
"We have started our journey for peace and prosperity with confidence that we can build denuclearization and peace on the Korean Peninsula with our own strength
"But at the same time, we have to do our best to build countermeasure capability for North Korea's nuclear weapons and missiles."
In the US, the Pentagon is also "cautiously optimistic" about the talks between the two Koreas and was encouraging further peace negotiations, according to Colonel Robert Manning on Monday.
"Our job is to make sure that we maintain those military operations to defend the Korean peninsula and we will (stand) shoulder to shoulder with our South Korean partners in the ROK-U.S. alliance," he told reporters.