Leaders of two Koreas agree to denuclearize peninsula at Pyongyang summit

Leaders of the two Koreas agreed Wednesday to end military tensions and try to achieve complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) shakes hands with top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un (R) during a joint press conference after their summit at Paekhwawon State Guesthouse in Pyongyang on September 19, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

The leaders of the two Koreas agreed Wednesday to end military tensions and try to achieve a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and South Korean President Moon Jae-in made the pledge at a joint press conference in Pyongyang.

At the press conference, Kim said that the Panmunjom Declaration would serve as the groundwork for a new era of peace on the Korean Peninsula and he wished to make the peninsula nuclear-free.

The Panmunjom Declaration was signed during Kim's first meeting with Moon in April at the truce village of Panmunjom on the border of the two Koreas.

Kim promised to accelerate the inter-Korean peace talks, further develop inter-Korean relations and visit Seoul, capital of South Korea, in the near future.

Moon said he and Kim have agreed on ways to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, and that it was the first time that the two Koreas reached an agreement on steps toward denuclearization.

In addition, they agreed to end military tensions and transform the inter-Korean border into a "peace zone," Moon said.

Before meeting the press, the two leaders signed a summit agreement.

Under the joint declaration signed by Moon and Kim in Pyongyang, the DPRK expressed its willingness to continue additional steps, such as the permanent destruction of its main Yongbyon nuclear facility, if the United States takes corresponding measures in accordance with the spirit of the DPRK-U.S. summit agreement reached on June 12 in Singapore.

In addition, the DPRK agreed to permanently destroy the Tongchang-ri engine test site and missile launching pads in the presence of experts from the countries concerned, according to the Pyongyang joint declaration.

On the same day, defense chiefs from both sides also signed a separate agreement on military affairs in the presence of the two leaders.

Moon and Kim held two-hour-long talks Tuesday afternoon at the headquarters of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and a one-on-one meeting earlier on Wednesday.