Kim Jong‑un becomes first North Korean leader to set foot in South Korea since 1953

Kim Jong‑un has become the first North Korean leader to set foot in South Korea by crossing the military line that has divided the peninsula since the end of the Korean War in 1953.

South Korean President Moon Jae‑in met Kim at the border in the last hour before talks begin.

Both men are on their way to the meeting venue which is the Joint Security Area, equally neutral to both sides.

The historic meeting will focus on the North's recent indications it could be willing to give up its nuclear weapons.

The Korean peninsula was divided after World War Two and the communist North developed in an authoritarian system.

Isolated on the global stage, North Korea says nuclear weapons are its only deterrent against an outside world seeking to destroy it.

North Korea has carried out six nuclear tests.

One, it says, was a hydrogen bomb.

It has also has a ballistic missile that experts believe could reach the US.

In response the UN, the US, the EU and have implemented increasingly tough sanctions.

The North has missiles aimed at the South and Japan.

A pre‑emptive strike against Pyongyang could trigger devastating retaliation.

It would also kill countless North Koreans.

This rare dialogue will also pave the way to proposed talks between the United States and North Korea.