This year saw a diplomatic breakthrough on the Korean Peninsula. There were a total of three meetings between Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DRPK) leader Kim Jong Un and Republic of Korea (ROK) President Moon Jae-in, two significant declarations, and five firsts.

The two leaders made history on April 26 when Kim and Moon held hands and stepped across the Military Demarcation Line. 

Exactly a month later, the two leaders met again on the ROK side, exchanging views on the upcoming Trump-Kim Summit.

The third time was in Pyongyang, where the two discussed the easing of military tensions along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and rebooting cross-border business projects. 

The three meetings produced two declarations. The Panmunjom Declaration agreed to cease all hostile acts, and work toward establishing a peace regime. The Pyongyang Joint Declaration issued in September 2018, built on the basis of the Panmunjom Declaration, and vowed to pursue exchanges and cooperation as well as economic development, pledging to resolve the issue of separated families, and push forward denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The meetings and declarations led to five "firsts" on the Korean Peninsula in 2018. 

On February 9, under the unification flag, the two sides' sports delegation made a joint debut at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Opening ceremony, for the first time in 11 years. 

On June 14, general-level military talks were restored between the two sides, for the first time in 10 years. 

On August 26, around 200 separated families reunited at a mount resort in the DPRK, the first reunion since 2015. 

On September 14, the New Inter-Korean Liaison Office was set up, becoming the very first full-time communication and negotiation mechanism in inter-Korean history. 

On December 12, the verification for the removal of DMZ Armed Guard Posts was completed. For the first time since the division, military personnel can set foot on the other side.