North and South Korea leaders hold hands after arriving for a historic summit between the two countries. USA TODAY


SEOUL — History was made with a few small steps Friday morning as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un walked across the heavily armed border that separates the Korean Peninsula and greeted South Korean President Moon Jae-in.
The two leaders were all smiles as they shook hands and exchanged words in a scene many could not have imagined just a few months ago. After a tense 2017 filled with ballistic missile launches and North Korea’s sixth nuclear test, both sides have made huge strides toward diplomacy in 2018, leading up to Friday's summit, just the third time leaders of the two Koreas have met.
When Kim then stepped across the border to the South, he became the first North Korean leader to set foot on South Korean soil since the Korean War ceased in 1953. Both sides are still technically at war, as an armistice was signed that stopped the fighting but not a peace treaty.
During their greeting at the border, Kim appeared to go off-script and invited Moon to first briefly cross into North Korean territory, which the South Korean president accepted with a broad smile.
After their greeting, the leaders walked down a red carpet together, escorted by an honor guard in traditional Korean attire. Moon and Kim were greeted by two children, who offered flowers to Kim. The children are students at an elementary school in Taesung Village, the only inhabited town within the demilitarized zone (DZ).

The leaders made their way to a reviewing stand to inspect a South Korean military honor guard, a diplomatic protocol often used on state visits. Moon later introduced his delegates for the summit to Kim, who then introduced his team of eight delegates to Moon, including his sister, Kim Yo-jong, Kim Yong-nam, the North’s nominal head of state, and Kim Yong-chol, previously the head of the North’s military intelligence agency.
In another apparently impromptu moment, Kim suggested the teams gather for a group photo. Afterwards, the leaders made their way to the Peace House, the building on the South side of Panmunjom border village, where the talks will be held.
Inside the venue, Kim signed a guestbook with a message: "New history starts from now, at the historic starting point of an era of peace."  
The two leaders made some opening remarks before the two sides began closed-door talks in the first round of their discussion. 
Kim noted that it had been 11 years since the last summit, and said: “Walking here, I wondered why it took so long.” The North Korean leader added that he wanted to hold “frank and sincere” discussions with Moon and hoped for a “good outcome.”
“Panmunjom has become a symbol of peace instead of a symbol of division," the moment Kim crossed the border, Moon said. He thanked the North Korean leader for his “courage” in agreeing to the summit, saying: “You have made today’s moment possible.” 
The agenda for the summit consists of three topics: denuclearization, establishing permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula and improving inter-Korean relations. 
It is that first agenda item, denuclearization, that is casting the biggest remaining question mark over the carefully choreographed event. It is unclear how exactly each side defines denuclearization and it remains to be seen what sort of agreement and roadmap will emerge out of the talks.
North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests last year likely put it on the threshold of becoming a legitimate nuclear power. North Korea claims it has already risen to that level.
Kim’s news agency said that the leader would “open-heartedly” discuss with Moon “all the issues arising in improving inter-Korean relations and achieving peace, prosperity and reunification of the Korean Peninsula” in a “historic” summit.
The greeting of the two leaders was planned to the last detail. Thousands of journalists were kept in a huge conference center well away from the summit, except for a small group of tightly controlled pool reporters at the border.
Following the first session of talks, Kim will cross back to the North for a brief recess and lunch before returning for more ceremonial events, further talks and a formal dinner.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​