In pics: At Inter-Korean summit North Korea’s Kim Jong Un says a ‘new history begins now’

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and the South’s President Moon Jae-in held a historic summit Friday after shaking hands over the Military Demarcation Line that divides their countries

Kim Jong Un on Friday became the first North Korean leader to set foot in South Korean-controlled territory, starting a historic summit meeting with the South’s president that will test Kim’s willingness to bargain away his nuclear weapons.

Kim’s crossing of the line at the heart of the world’s most heavily armed border zone, a prospect that seemed unthinkable just a few months ago, was broadcast live in South Korea, where a riveted nation sought to discern the intentions of the North’s 34-year-old leader.

For South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, who has placed himself at the center of diplomacy to end the nuclear standoff with the North, the meeting presents a formidable task: finding a middle ground between a cunning enemy to the North and an impulsive ally in the United States.

The historic encounter at the Peace House, a conference building on the South Korean side of the border village of Panmunjom, could set the tone for an even more critical meeting planned between Kim and President Donald Trump.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signs a guest book watched by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, top, inside the Peace House at the Peace House at the border village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone Friday, April 27, 2018. (AP)

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in (R) and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (L) pose for a photo as they cross the Military Demarcation Line ahead of the inter-Korean summit at the truce village of Panmunjom on April 27, 2018. (AFP)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, second from right, walks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, right, to hold their meeting at the border village of Panmunjom in Demilitarized Zone Friday, April 27, 2018. (AP)

South Korean President Moon Jae-in walks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during their meeting at the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, South Korea, April 27, 2018. (REUTERS)

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in (R) speaks with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (R) during the Inter-Korean summit in the Peace House building on the southern side of the truce village of Panmunjom on April 27, 2018. (AFP)

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in (L) attends the Inter-Korean summit with North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (R) in the Peace House building on the southern side of the truce village of Panmunjom on April 27, 2018. (AFP)

North Korean bodyguards jog next to a car carrying North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un returning to the North for a lunch break after a morning session of the inter-Korean summit at the truce village of Panmunjom on April 27, 2018. (AFP)