South and North Korea have agreed to end the Korean War this year and work together to turn an armistice into a peace treaty. 

In addition, they reaffirmed denuclearization is their joint goal while President Moon Jae-in agreed to visit the North this fall. 

The two Koreas on Friday announced a 13-point agreement following the historic one-day summit meeting between President Moon and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Peace House on the southern side of the truce village of Panmunjeom. 

Under the agreement titled “Panmunjeom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula,” the two leaders shared the firm commitment to bring a swift end to the Cold War relic of long-standing division and confrontation and to improve and cultivate inter-Korean relations in a more active manner. 

To that end, they agreed to declare an end to the Korean War, 65 years after the three-year war ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. 

To make it happen, they will work together to hold a three-way summit involving the two Koreas and the United States or a four-way summit that also includes China.

They said they will actively cooperate with each other to build a permanent and solid peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, adding it is a historical mission that must not be delayed any further.  

As part of efforts they agreed to establish a joint liaison office in Gaeseong where officials from the two Koreas will reside to facilitate close consultations between the governments, smooth exchanges and cooperation between their people. 

They also reaffirmed the Nonaggression Agreement precluding any use of military force against each other and to strictly adhere to it, while taking phased measures to reduce armed forces as military tension is alleviated and substantial progress is made in military confidence-building. 

The complete end to all hostile acts against each other, including land, air and sea, was also agreed upon as well as transforming the demilitarized zone into a peace zone by ceasing all hostile acts as of May first, such as loudspeaker broadcasts and the distribution of leaflets near the Military Demarcation Line. 

They also agreed to devise a practical scheme to turn areas around the Northern Limit Line in the West Sea into a maritime peace zone to prevent accidental military clashes and guarantee safe fishing activities. 

In addition, they decided to hold frequent meetings between military authorities, starting with a general-level meeting next month. 

Efforts for inter-Korean cooperation will also be beefed up. 

The two Koreas agreed to hold a reunion of war-separated families on August 15th and jointly participate in international sports events such as the Jakarta Asian Games to be held in August. 

Moon and Kim said they would hold frequent and candid discussions on major issues regarding the two countries through regular meetings and direct telephone calls, and strengthen mutual trust and work together to continue momentum for development in inter-Korean ties and peace, prosperity and unification of the Korean Peninsula. 

They also affirmed the joint goal of realizing a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization. 

Both sides shared the perception that the measures being initiated by the North are meaningful and crucial for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and agreed to carry out their respective roles and responsibilities. 

As part of this, they agreed to actively seek the international community’s support and cooperation for the denuclearization of the peninsula. 

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