What happens to Korea peace talks when the smiles have faded?

South Korean President Moon Jae-in was grinning as he greeted North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. They embraced, held hands, toasted one another and promised an end to war and – finally – peace on the Korean peninsula. 

It was tremendous theatre, but also heralded something which could change the face of Asia and the world. The two immediate questions are whether Kim can be trusted, and whether US President Donald Trump can live up to his responsibilities when he meets the North Korean dictator. 

It was hard to imagine from the behaviour of the two leaders that North and South Korea have technically been at war for the past 65 years, having fought a bloody conflict that saw almost a million soldiers and 2.5 million civilians killed in three years. When Moon said he had never been to North Korea, Kim took him by the hand and led him briefly over the dividing line between the two Koreas.  

The Panmunjom Declaration, which Moon and Kim signed, promises a wonderful new world: “The two leaders solemnly declared before the 80 million Korean people and the whole world that there will be no more war on the Korean peninsula and thus a new era of peace has begun”.