ROK marks first Moon-Kim summit anniversary, without DPRK
Republic of Korea (ROK) President Moon Jae-in expressed optimism Saturday that the ROK and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will achieve "irreversible peace" and co-prosperity on the basis of his summit deal with Kim Jong Un a year earlier, according to Yonhap.
Celebrating the first anniversary of the signing of a set of summit agreements at the truce village of Panmunjom, Moon called it a "dramatic day."
"[The agreements in] the Panmunjom Declaration are being implemented one by one," he said in a video message for an official ceremony held on the southern side of Panmunjom.
But the DPRK side failed to show up to the event.
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One year on, how was Panmunjom Declaration implemented?
Kim Jong Un walks cross the Military Demarcation Line with Moon Jae-in at the border village of Panmunjom, April 27, 2018. /Xinhua photo
Absent DPRK
The DPRK was absent from the peace-themed celebrations and failed to send any official or message in response to the ROK's invite.
Instead, the DPRK's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country, which handles inter-Korean relations, urged Seoul earlier to take "more active measures" to improve ties.
The Moon-Kim summit a year ago had restarted the "ticking of the reunification clock," it said, but the U.S. was pressuring Seoul to lock steps in their approach towards the DPRK.
"A grave situation is being created that may see a return to the past of reaching catastrophe in the thickening dangers of war," it said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
ROK President Moon Jae-in and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un exchange their bipartite copies of a joint declaration at Peace House on the ROK side of Panmunjom, April 27, 2018. /Xinhua photo
Kim and Moon held their first historic meeting at Panmunjom, the truce village on the border. They issued a joint declaration that listed goals aiming to improve the inter-Korean relations, ease military tension and establish a peaceful regime on the peninsula.
The two leaders also had two more summits in 2018, producing follow-up deals on reducing military tension and building mutual trust. Kim repeatedly expressed his commitment to the complete denuclearization during the meetings.
But exchanges between Seoul and Pyongyang have significantly decreased since the failure to reach agreement in Hanoi.
To break the deadlock, Moon has called for a fourth summit with Kim, though he has not replied yet.
(Cover image: The truce village of Panmunjom, September 18, 2018. /VCG photo)
(With input from Yonhap)