S Korean, DPRK leaders begin formal talks in 3rd Inter-Korean summit

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (R) meets with top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un in the border village of Panmunjom on April, 27, 2018. Moon Jae-in arrived Friday morning in the border village of Panmunjom for his first summit with Kim Jong Un. (Xinhua/Inter-Korean Summit Press Corps)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un began formal talks Friday morning in the border village of Panmunjomon on the South Korean side at the third-ever inter-Korea summit.

After attending an official welcoming ceremony that included an inspection of a South Korean honor guard, the two leaders launched talks on peace and prosperity of the Korean Peninsula at a conference room on the second floor of the Peace House, a South Korean building inside Panmunjom dividing the two Koreas.

Kim made history by becoming the first DPRK leader to step onto South Korean soil since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Standing on the two sides of the military demarcation line (MDL), marked only by a low concrete slab, Moon and Kim shook hands with beaming smiles on their faces for their first meeting.

The previous two inter-Korean summits took place in the DPRK capital of Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007, respectively.

After walking across the MDL into the South Korean side, Kim invited Moon to briefly cross the border into the DPRK side.

They returned back to the South Korean side of Panmunjom grasping hands with each other, marking a historic moment for the first inter-Korea summit in more than a decade.

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S Korean president Moon greets DPRK leader Kim after Kim walks across border

South Korean President Moon Jae-in greeted Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), on Friday morning after Kim walked across the military demarcation line (MDL) dividing the Korean Peninsula.

Moon and Kim shook hands standing on the South Korean side and the DPRK side, respectively, at Panmunjom, which is divided only by a low cement slab sitting in the middle of the border village.

After Kim walked across the MDL into the South Korean side, Kim invited Moon to cross the border briefly into the DPRK side with their hands holding together.