The two Koreas agreed to conduct an inter-government dialogue on improving inter-Korea relations either in Seoul or in Pyongyang as soon as possible and resume dialogue and negotiations on other issues. The two countries agreed to schedule a reunion of families separated during the inter-Korea war (1950-1953) by the end of September and hold a joint session of their Red Cross Societies in early September to prepare for the reunion. They also agreed to promote exchanges in many areas.

 

The most noteworthy item of the agreement was Pyongyang’s expression of for the recent explosion of land mines in the Demilitarized Zone that injured two South Korean soldiers. The Republic of Korea said it will immediately halt anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts. In return, the North agreed to end the "semi" state of war it had declared. The world community hailed the agreement.

Positive signs from the negotiation

The agreement sparks hopes for an end to military tensions on the Korean peninsula. Analysts say there has been nothing new in inter-Korea tensions. Escalated tensions in recent weeks have been just the latest move in what is North Korea’s “on the verge of war” policy to protest the annual joint military exercise by South Korea and the US. Shelling exchanges and North Korea’s increased military presence near the border have made some observers nervous. The bilateral negotiations to defuse tensions are a positive sign. This crisis was not as serious as the one in 2013 when North Korea’s testing of long-range missiles and its 3^rd nuclear test nearly provoked increased UN sanctions. With its “on the verge of war” policy, North Korea has not wanted to push tensions to an uncontrollable level, only to use provocative acts to pressure South Korea to negotiate.

Stagnation addressed

The agreement has been applauded by the world community. It is expected to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula and pave the way for improved inter-Korea ties.

North Korea’s expressing regret over the landmine explosion is almost unprecedented. It signals a will to end confrontations and establish a new framework for their relations. Observers say the recent meeting was an indirect summit between the two countries’ leaders because the chief negotiators were the advisors closest to President Park Geun-hye and supreme leader Kim Jong-un.

Hope for a peace deal on the Korean peninsula

Many analysts say, however, that a number of core issues including North Korea’s nuclear program, remain unaddressed. The two Koreas have technically been in a state of war in the early 1950s because they only signed a ceasefire agreement, not a peace deal. As the years have passed, provocations and sanctions on the Korean peninsula have hindered the normalization of inter-Korea relations. This agreement once again sparks hopes that the two Koreas can build trust and negotiate toward a peace and unification deal to replace their ceasefire agreement.