Six years ago, on April 27, 2018, then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met on the South Korean side of the Joint Security Area. This historic meeting was the third inter-Korean summit and the first in 11 years. Notably, it was the first time since 1953 at the end of the Korean War that a North Korean leader stepped onto South Korean soil. President Moon reciprocated by briefly crossing into North Korean territory.
Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission (NNSC) Annual Reception 2024 on May 10 at the NNSC Camp in Panmunjeom at the gracious invitation of the Swiss and Swedish delegations of the NNSC. In the aftermath of the pandemic, this year's NNSC Annual Reception was held five years after its last convening in 2019. My presence at the reception evoked memories of the historic summit.
I vividly recall the extraordinary scene that day when Moon and Kim met. Kim, stepping out from Panmungak with a radiant smile, invited President........