When the two leaders from Korea meet in Panmunjom later next month, new histories of East Asia will be narrated and written. North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un will travel from Pyongyang to the demilitarised zone at Panmunjom. His car will pass the Panmon Gak on the northern side and proceed to cross the DMZ line to the Peace House (Pyeonghwa jib) a few metres away southward. With South Korean President Moon Jae-in waiting there, he will greet his younger counterpart once he arrives with a big smile. Before the two shake hands, Mr Kim will by then have already made history as the first North Korean leader to step foot on South Korea since the war ended in 1953.
With Mr Kim inside South Korea, both leaders can begin discussing ways and means to coexist peacefully. They have to make sure that the first meeting is an entry point to a lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula. They could discuss strengthening cooperation and increasing the chances of a reunion of families divided during the war, among others. Contentious issues related to the status of an armistice agreement, denuclearisation, reunification and a possible peace treaty would be taken up in the future. Thanks to Mr Moon's appeasement policy towards North Korea, diplomacy has finally triumphed over the possible use of force.
Kavi Chongkittavorn is a veteran journalist on regional affairs.
