Pyongyang: The leaders of the rival Koreas took to the road for the final day of their summit on Thursday, standing on the peak of a beautiful volcano considered sacred in the North and a centerpiece of propaganda used to legitimise the Kim family’s rule, their hands clasped and raised in a pose of triumph.
Their trip to the mountain on the North Korean-Chinese border, and the striking photo-op that will resonate in both Koreas, followed a day of wide-ranging agreements they trumpeted as a major step toward peace.
However, their premier accord on the issue that most worries the world — the North’s pursuit of nuclear-tipped missiles that can accurately strike the US mainland — contained a big condition: Kim Jong Un stated that he would permanently dismantle North Korea’s main nuclear facility only if the United States takes unspecified corresponding measures. Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in flew separately to an airport near Mount Paektu on Thursday morning where they then met up and drove to the mountain. Photos showed the leaders smiling broadly as they posed at the summit, their wives grinning at their sides, a brilliant blue sky and the deep crater lake that tops the volcano in the background; they also toured the shores of the lake. (AP)
