Summary

  • The leaders of North and South Korea have pledged that their countries will never fight another war

  • Kim Jong-un crossed into the South to meet his counterpart Moon Jae-in

  • The pair signed a joint statement agreeing to pursue "complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula"

  • The two men walked and talked together after their first formal meeting

  • Many analysts remain sceptical about the North's apparent enthusiasm for engagement

  1. Korea summit - what has happened so far?published at 05:52 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-inImage source, Getty Images

    Hello, if you're just joining our live coverage of a hugely significant day on the Korean peninsula, here's a quick recap. The Korean leaders have had their lunch break and are resuming talks.

    • Kim Jong-un has become the first North Korean leader to set foot in South Korea
    • He was met by South Korea's Moon Jae-in, all smiles and with a very symbolic handshake
    • In an unexpected move, Mr Moon also briefly stepped over into North Korea for another handshake
    • There was live coverage of their ceremonial welcome and a brief first conversation
    • Both leaders - technically still at war - welcomed the developments and said they wanted to move their relationship forward
    • The actual talks were held behind closed doors - they are thought to cover nuclear weapons and a possible peace treaty

    Read more: Kim Jong-un crosses into South Korea

  2. South Korean oppositionpublished at 05:45 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    To be clear, not everyone is a supporter of these talks. There are some South Koreans, albeit a minority, who think military action is the only possible way of dealing with the North. These people were protesting today in Paju, South Korea.

    Anti-talks protest in Paju, South KoreaImage source, EPA
  3. Floating aid into North Koreapublished at 05:39 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    There's a section of South Korean society that has taken matters into their own hands and tries to send supplies and propaganda into the North. The BBC's Laura Bicker spent some time with a group - including some defectors - who use a twice-monthly change in the tides to float their offerings over the border.

    Media caption,

    North Koreans get food and medicine from the South in floating plastic bottles.

  4. An unusual silencepublished at 05:34 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    LoudspeakersImage source, Getty Images

    The demilitarized zone was created as a buffer zone at the end of the Korean war hostilities. On any normal day, there would be speakers from both sides blasting propaganda, but today there's silence. The broadcasts have been suspended as a sign of goodwill and co-operation.

  5. Snacks for reporterspublished at 05:32 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    Important news from the press centre near the DMZ - free snacks have been laid on, including these rather intense looking... bears?

    Bear-shaped snack
  6. Newsreader appearance?published at 05:30 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    North Korean state TV is yet to report on the summit, but that's normal. It usually begins its broadcasts at 06:30GMT (15:00 North Korea time).

    Will we see that famous newsreader in pink Ri Chun-hee again?

    Media caption,

    News reader Ri Chun-hee announces North Korea's end to nuclear tests and launches

  7. Musical intro on radiopublished at 05:29 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    In a highly unusual move, North Korean state radio's regular newscast at 21:30 GMT began with 10 minutes of music, before cutting to Kim's departure, says BBC Monitoring.

    "The North-South summit meeting and talks will be held in the South's side for the first time in the history of the nation's division," the report said. As usual, Moon was referred to as "president" without specifying the country.

  8. What did North Koreans see?published at 05:24 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    Our colleagues at BBC Monitoring are watching North Korean media today. They said it was unusually prompt in reporting Kim's departure for the border.

    Events - like the last two Korean leaders' meetings - are normally reported long after they have taken place.

    State-run radio Korean Central Broadcasting Station, the official news agency KCNA and ruling party newspaper Rodong Sinmun all carried reports about Kim's departure shortly after he left Pyongyang in the early hours.

  9. Does Kim have a northern accent?published at 05:17 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    The kick-off to the meeting was a very rare example of hearing Mr Kim speak live on TV.

    It's quickly triggered analysis not just of what he said but also of how he said it.

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  10. What Moon wantspublished at 05:16 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    “Denuclearisation is the major issue overhanging both summits," Dr Euan Graham, director of international security at the Lowy Institute told the BBC. "South Korea will see it as a victory if it is mentioned in any form."

    "They are looking for a statement in principle that they can live with.”

    As for outcomes he says we should expect an agreement on general principles and “not much in the way of a grand bargain.”

  11. Bitter divisionspublished at 05:09 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    Remember how the easing of tensions got under way? North Korea unexpectedly took part in the Winter Olympics in the South and things snowballed from there.

    Korea's bitter division is in fact woven into Olympic history. Here's a story that got us all tearing up a bit back in February. Two ping pong players from North and South that won gold 30 years ago but were never allowed met again...

    Media caption,

    The North and South Korean gold medal ping pong pals separated for ever

  12. 'A lamentable precedent, humanizing Kim'published at 05:08 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

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  13. Family reunionspublished at 05:00 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    Korean familyImage source, Reuters

    Any talks between North and South always bring along the hope for family reunions.

    Divided since the Korean War, the border has cut through families, love and friendship. The last reunion meetings took place in 2015 and there are hopes that the South will be able to push for a repeat of those.

  14. Surprise salutepublished at 04:48 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    The Korean Herald has written about some of the unexpected moments from the meeting, external, including the 10 seconds Mr Moon spontaneously spent on the North Korean side and when two senior North Korean military figures saluted President Moon. The countries are, as we are always keen to stress, technically still at war.

  15. Kim 'willing to go to Seoul'published at 04:48 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

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  16. How do North and South compare?published at 04:48 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    Back in the heyday of Pyongyang and Washington trading threats and insults last year, we looked at how the North and the South actually compare.

    Who is taller, who lives longer, what about mobile phone distribution, economic output, military might and who gets to ride on gravel, who on asphalt roads?

    You'll find in all in these nine charts, one of our most-read stories on North Korea.

    Chart comparing height of North and South Koreas
  17. 'A means to an end'published at 04:46 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    We're still in the dark about any of the details the two discussed behind closed doors.

    Dr James Kim, director of the Asan Institute of Policy Studies, told the BBC ahead of the talks that for Pyongyang they first and foremost were a means to an end: talks with the US.

    “Right now North Korea sees South Korea as the only way to get Washington to come down and talk with them about issues including economic sanctions, relieving sanctions, signing a peace treaty.

  18. The view from Washingtonpublished at 04:41 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    The BBC's Chris Buckler in Washington says one of the issues that WON'T be talked about today will be central to any talks with Trump - the release of three Korean-American citizens currently being held prisoner by the North.

    Let's not forget one American, Otto Warmbier, returned home from detention in North Korea last year fatally ill. Exactly what happened to him remains unclear, but his parents believe he was tortured.

    Otto Warmbier and North Korean guardsImage source, Reuters
  19. Cold noodles in South Koreapublished at 04:41 British Summer Time 27 April 2018

    Our colleagues in BBC Korean have spotted a nice trend: many South Koreans are eating North Korean-style cold noodles today to make the occasion.

    This tweet says: "I came to eat 'Pyongyang cold noodle', but the line is exploding as it's a special day."

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