Korea Summit dodges denuclearisation issue

Seoul

RECLUSIVE North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's coming-out party was in grand style, an extravaganza of pomp overshadowing serious talks on crucial security issues like denuclearisation. The political theatre created by South Korean President Moon Jae-in obscured the North's nuclear and missile challenges in a world fearful of a nuclear conflict in Asia.

The April 27 summit provided occasion to underscore Korean nationalism - one country, one history, one culture. In the armistice village of Panmunjom, the two leaders embraced each other and crossed over to each other's territory. As the first North Korean head of state to step into the southern territory since the 1950 war, Mr Kim reviewed a full honour guard in 19th-century uniforms reminding of a common heritage. They planted a tree in the neutral zone, in commemoration of the 65th anniversary of the armistice agreement that falls this year. These choreographed televised events, while underscoring the symbolism of peace and common destiny, prompted criticisms of trivialising talks meant to thwart the shadows of nuclear conflict on the peninsula.