On Friday, the leaders of South and North Korea met face-to-face at the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ), as the U.S. and North Korea work towards direct denuclearization talks. North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, and South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, discussed issues such as moving towards a nuclear-free Korean peninsula, and declaring an official end to the Korean War (an armistice halted military hostilities in 1953). The two men also found time to exchange humorous barbs, “I heard you had your early-morning sleep disturbed many times because of us … I will make sure that your morning sleep won’t be disturbed,” said Kim. Moon replied, “Now I can sleep in peace.”

We’ll discuss the historic meeting and its potential ramifications with Bruce Cumings, professor of history at the University of Chicago. He’s author of numerous books on the Korean peninsula including, Parallax Visions: Making Sense of American-East Asian Relations at the End of the Century, The Korean War: A History and North Korea: Another Country.