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South and North Korea begin “a new history”

Korea

North Korea leader Kim Jong-un made history by crossing the Southern border for a meeting with his South Korea counterpart Moon Jae-in – part of a process that could secure peace between the two neighbouring states.

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The summit concluded with a potentially era-defining pledge by both governments to rid the peninsula of nuclear weapons.

If lasting peace is achieved, it would have profound positive implications for travel and tourism and, by extension travel retail.

This is just the third time that leaders from North and South Korea have met since the Korean War, and the first time that one of the Kim leadership family has crossed to the south. The leaders met in the demilitarized zone between the states.

Kim Jong-un said: “We are at a starting line today, where a new history of peace, prosperity and inter-Korean relations is being written.”

The dramatic meeting comes soon before Kim is due to meet US President Donald Trump to address the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

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North and South Korea are technically still at war because the Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. The leaders today agreed to push for a peace treaty to end the long-lasting armistice.