North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will cross the concrete slabs that form the border between his country and the south where he will be received by South Korean President Moon Jae In during a historic summit on Friday.
The talks on the southern side of the border village of Panmunjom are expected to focus on North Korea's nuclear program, but there will be plenty of symbolism when Kim becomes the first North Korean leader to be in the southern section of the border since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
The two leaders will plant a commemorative tree and walk together for about 10 minutes to a plaza where they will inspect a South Korean honor guard, Moon's chief of staff Im Jong-seok told reporters.
After signing the guestbook and taking a photo together at Peace House, the venue for the summit, the Kim and Moon will start formal talks at 10:30 a.m. (0130 GMT). They will later plant a pine tree on the border using a mixture of soil from both counties' mountains and water from their respective rivers. The tree, which is beloved by both Koreas, dates to 1953, the year the war ended, Im said.
Engraved on the stone plaque for the tree will be the phrase, "Peace and Prosperity Are Planted," as well as the signatures of the leaders.
The leaders will meet again in the afternoon and later attend a banquet, Im said.
Im said Kim is to be accompanied by nine top North Korean officials, including his influential sister, Kim Yo Jong. South Korea’s delegation is comprised of seven officials, including the ministers for defense, foreign affairs and unification.
Im said South Korea hopes Kim's wife, Ri Sol Ju, will attend parts of Friday's summit, but Ri's attendance hasn't been agreed to yet.
“This summit will focus more on denuclearization and securing of permanent peace than anything else,” Im said on Thursday.
“I feel North Korea is sending their key military officials to the summit as they too, believe denuclearization and peace are important.”
It is also not clear how the leaders will announce the results of the summit. The most difficult part, Im said, centers on North Korea's level of denuclearization commitment.
Friday's summit and Kim's planned meeting with President Donald Trump in May or early June were arranged after Kim recently expressed a wiliness to put his nuclear program up for negotiation after a year of nuclear and missile tests.
Much of South Korea will hit the pause button on Friday to watch history unfold.
In Seoul, the summit will be broadcast life on a giant TV screen and students will be given a break from classes to watch the live coverage.
“It is an important moment of our history and a very good chance to feel the history,” said Park Sung-il, vice principal at Baekun Elementary School in the southern city of Gwangju, which is letting students watch events unfold on television.
“Our kids can get live education about unification by watching South and North Korean leaders shake hands in real time.”
It is only the third time the leaders of the countries have met, and previous summits in Pyongyang, the North’s capital, were not broadcast live.
“There is the sense of excitement in Seoul that almost everybody is preparing for celebration on Friday,” said Victor Cha, a US expert on Korea who was visiting Seoul this week.
If the summit goes well, “perhaps people in Washington may be more optimistic” that Kim’s meeting with Trump will go well, he added.
In Gwangju, a theater is offering free admission for people to watch the broadcast on its movie screen.
“Think about South Korean honor guards escorting the leader of our enemy state,” said Lee Shin, the head of a reunification research group in the city. “This is a very significant moment of our history.”
