Korea summit: euphoria now, but Kim Jong-un’s real test is to come – Donald Trump

Countless white flowers were planted on the main lawn in front of City Hall in the shape of a unified Korean peninsula, and throughout the square were exhibits, with photos and written explanations, detailing the history of inter-Korean division, interspersed with aspirational slogans, such as “A new start towards peace.”

Thin crowds gathered in the square on the day of the summit to watch the live broadcast on a massive screen. At the summit’s conclusion, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un announced a joint statement. The two men smiled and embraced and they each spoke, announcing a set of pledges they said would end the Korean peninsula’s decades of military conflict and usher in a sustained era of cooperation.

On the ground in front of the screen sat an elderly man surnamed Kim who had come to the square with two friends to watch the proceedings. “This is great news,” he said with a cautious smile.

He felt like after years of antagonism, South and North Korea had reached a turning point. “Kim Jong-un has been tough until now, but I think he has realised that we all have to work together. As long as we work together everything will be good,” the elderly Kim said.

Hang on, what language is Kim Jong-un speaking?

A wave of consensus has formed in South Korean society that now is the time to earnestly attempt negotiations with North Korea, considering that in recent years, as South Korea and the international community have enacted multiple rounds of sanctions and cut off nearly all contact, North Korea has only advanced with its nuclear armament and become a more daunting threat.