In a historic gesture that reduces the tension between the two countries, the US president has crossed into North Korean territory and has become the first president of his country to take the step, as reported by the Guardian news.

Presidents Donald Trump of the Us and Kim Jong-un of North Korea have taken a step forward in history, literally. The two met this Sunday in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), the border strip between the two Koreas, and from the demarcation line have passed together to North Korean soil. Those brief seconds have made Trump the first president of the US to step on the soil of what is regarded as an enemy state.

What remains to be seen now is whether the gesture bears fruit and the resumption of negotiations announced by the U.S president leads to substantial progress. Or if the historical moment remains in a mere television show.

At 3:30 PM KT in Panmunjom, the "peace village," on the border that has seen more than 800 rounds of talks between the two Koreas, Trump left the House of Peace in the South. Kim made it from Panmunjak's pavilion in the North, in a scene copied from the inter-Korean summit that he and South Korean President Moon Jae-in celebrated in April of last year and that opened the way for the leader of the North to be accepted in international diplomacy.

"I'm glad to see you again," greeted the leader of the North as he shook Trump's hand effusively.

They both jumped together, as Kim and Moon had done fifteen months ago, to South Korean soil and walked a few meters. After greeting again, they went south. In a few brief statements on the ground in the South, and before moving on to a private meeting with his guest, Trump said that "many positive things are happening" in the process of talks between Washington and Pyongyang.

Good personal relationship

He also highlighted his good personal relationship with Kim since their first summit on June 12, 2018, in Singapore: "We have liked each other since the first day." He also raised the possibility - unthinkable until a few months ago - of a trip by the North Korean leader to Washington, reports the Guardian.

Trump responded, saying, I'm going to invite you to the White House right now."

According to The Guardian, the meeting between the two, which was initially planned to be a mere exchange of pleasantries, went on much longer than expected, lasting almost an hour. President Kim pointed out that, the meeting was a sign of the warming ties between the U.S. and North Korea. After the meeting, Trump and the South Korean president, who had traveled with him on his visit to the DMZ, accompanied Kim to the Demilitarized Zone(DMZ) South and North Korea.

In statements to the media, the North Korean leader acknowledged that he had been "surprised" that Trump had suggested this meeting on Saturday in a tweet, and that the official invitation arrived hours later.

"I also wanted to see him," he said. "I do not think the meeting could have been organized in a single day suddenly without the excellent relationship that the president and I have," he said, adding, "therefore, I am convinced that this excellent relationship will help us take the initiative and overcome the barriers and difficulties we may face "

The conversation, apparently, has served to unblock the process of negotiations on the North Korean nuclear program, stalled since the previous U.S./North Korea summit ended in resounding failure given the drastic differences in their positions. Then, North Korea offered to dismantle its Yongbyon nuclear center in exchange for the gradual of sanctions.

The United States demanded that Pyongyang eliminate its unconventional weapons program, completely and verifiably, in exchange for the elimination of those sanctions.

"In the next two or three weeks, the teams will be working again," Trump announced.

But even if the two delegations resume their negotiations, it is not yet clear if any of the parties are willing to give in to positions that, in February, seemed immovable. Nor will the members of the teams be the same, after the apparent fall from grace of those who led negotiations by North Korea to Hanoi: the former North Korean ambassador in Madrid, Kim Hyok-chol, and the adviser to Supreme Leader Kim Yong-Chol.

"If the talks are resumed, the rest of those that stagnate again or fail completely will remain substantial unless the two parties agree on an unambiguous final goal, something we doubt," the Eurasia Group consultancy said in a note.

Trump had wanted to visit the Demilitarized Zone in 2017, during a previous visit to South Korea, but bad weather forced him to abandon those plans.

Wish fulfilled

Before meeting with Kim, the U.S. president, who arrived in Seoul on Saturday night for talks with Moon, saw his wish fulfilled and took a walk through the DMZ. In one of the observation posts, he was able to examine North Korean territory.

That area "used to be very, very dangerous," Trump commented while looking at the panorama, adding, "but after our first summit, all of the danger went away."

The meeting, in this enormously symbolic environment, is the third between Trump and Kim in a year. The first one took place on June 12, 2018, in Singapore.
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