Relations across Korea are improving despite lack of details on denuclearisation
Allowing foreign experts to observe the destruction of the Yongbyong nuclear test site is a real concession by the North.
Wednesday 19 September 2018 11:00, UK
They say today is the start of a war-free Korean peninsular.聽
In Pyongyang's state guesthouse, Kim Jong Un and President Moon Jae-In signed a deal which they claim will usher in a new era of peace.
The South Korea leader said the announcement included concrete steps towards denuclearisation - Chairman Kim's pledge to permanently dismantle the Donchang-ri missile engine test site and launch pad and allow foreign experts to observe the process.
He also added that the North would close its Yongbyon nuclear facility if the US responded with "corresponding measures".
Donald Trump hailed the announcement as "exciting", and while on the surface it sounds impressive, behind the broad headlines the details were thin.
There is still no clear timetable for denuclearisation, no detail about how and when it will happen.
The dismantling of Donchang-ri test site is not new. It was first mentioned by Donald Trump following his meeting with Mr Kim in June.
While he did not name the site, officials later confirmed it was Donchang-ri and satellite images have since identified ongoing work which appears to be taking the site down.
The pledge to close Yongbyong is also a clever play by North Korea. It looks conciliatory but really requires no sacrifice on their part until the US comes up with these unnamed "corresponding measures".
It also prevents Kim Jong Un from appearing to be kowtowing to Donald Trump.
The invitation to allow foreign experts to observe the destruction of the nuclear test site is a real concession by the North, which only invited foreign journalists when they blew up nuclear test site tunnels in May.
But while the recommitment to denuclearisation is lacking real detail, efforts to improve relations across Korea are not.
Separated families will be allowed to communicate by letter and video call.
The two leaders agreed to hold a ground-breaking ceremony this year connecting railways and roads running along their eastern and western coasts.
Meanwhile, to help reduce tensions, a new military deal was signed to defuse clashes at the border.
And in the end the scant detail on denuclearisation may not matter if it's enough to jump start stalled talks with America and secure a much prized second summit for Kim Jong Un with President Trump.