North Korea and South Korea

Making history, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with South Korea.

Lizzie Weichel, Staff Writer

Relations between North Korea and South Korea have historically been very tense. Dating back to the Korean War, the two regions (north and south) were created by drawing a line on the 38th parallel and creating the Demilitarized Zone. This zone strictly separates and prohibits people from crossing into the other country.

On April 27, 2018, North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, crossed the demarcation line in the demilitarized zone in order to meet with South Korean leader, Moon Jae-in. This meeting is held amidst intense threats by Kim Jong Un to develop a better nuclear arsenal and to even test it. However, Jong Un used this meeting to tell Jae-in that he would no longer test his nuclear arsenal: a very important development in the strides for peace.

This meeting has repercussions that can be felt around the world. Jong Un is the first North Korean leader to ever step foot on South Korean soil. The meeting, widely known as the “Korean Summit,” was filled with jokes and laughter between Un and Jae-in despite the fact that they have been threatening nuclear and hydrogen bomb testing. Regardless of the tense relations between the two, and between North Korea and the world, this meeting is a major event, and hopefully steps in the direction of peace will continue to follow.