In the past few months, North and South Korea have made great progress in mending their long strained relations since North Korea separated itself from its Southern half after the Korean War. North Korea had also made active effort to speak with the United States and South Korea in several meetings.
However, with the talks with the United States currently on hold, many are left uncertain as to what will happen next with the discussions.
For South Korean President Moon Jae-in, he hopes to be a mediator between the two countries and boosting the inter-Korean relationship. He, together with his wife Kim Jung-sook arrived in Pyongyang on Tuesday morning, September 19, 2018 for a three-day visit.
What is the meeting all about?
The two leaders are expected to tackle about what practical steps to take to reduce the nuclear threat on the Korean peninsula, but the specifics are not known.
Denuclearization
It was in April this year when it has been noted in history as the first meeting between the two Korean leaders took place. During this time, Moon had to make real progress in persuading the North Koreans to make concrete steps to denuclearize according to news sources.
Meanwhile, the flurry of inter-Korean summits and the much-hyped Singapore meeting between Kim and US President Donald Trump this year could mostly be seen as a temporary truce since no clear progress had been since then and only general details were agreed regarding denuclearization. Most observers warned that the North has taken no meaningful steps to denuclearize.
While the US wants denuclearization first and an easing of sanctions second, North Korea hopes for a step-by-step process where each concession by Pyongyang will lead to a gradual easing of the sanctions regime.
However, last month, the US last called off a trip by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to North Korea, citing a lack of progress.
Trump recently said that he and Kim would "prove everyone wrong" after he received an invitation from the North Korean leader for a second summit. Both sides say they are working on making that meeting happen.
In the run-up to Tuesday's inter-Korean talks, South Korean envoys reported that Kim, in fact, wants to complete denuclearization within the first term of the Trump administration.
