The one-day summit, which took place on Friday in the truce village of Panmunjeom, came after months of rising tensions. Seoul was concerned with Pyongyang's ongoing missile and nuclear tests, while North Korea was wary of its neighbor's military drills with the United States. However, the first sign of detente came in the form of Kim's New Year's address, in which he said that the country's athletes might go to South Korea for the Winter Olympic Games.
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Dialogue With Enemy
Since yesterday, a huge poster of two shaking hands and the image of a united Korean Peninsula above them could be seen looking down at demonstrators from the walls of Seoul City Hall. The same image was created from white camomiles on a giant round lawn at the entrance of the building. One year ago, protesters gathered at this very spot, but at that time with US flags, to express their disagreement with Moon's election as president.
In the middle of the column of protesters, a black wagon with a loudspeaker moved slowly, blasting "Moon Jae-in must go away!" for everyone around to hear.
Asked which was better, peace with North Korea or war with North Korea, a woman in a yellow vest told a Sputnik correspondent that "it is still a fake peace." An excited man standing nearby exclaimed that "North Korea only needs money!"
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Apart from Korean flags, some people brandished US and Israeli flags. Many marched in military uniforms to the beat of drums, while others did so in everyday clothes. Feelings of tension and irritation were visible on the facial expressions of the majority of protesters.\
From time to time, they shouted at young police officers who were moving along the procession to try to narrow the flow of demonstrators. The police had to exercise restraint in order to keep the protesters from disrupting traffic, but huge traffic jams popped up in the city center nonetheless.
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The demonstrators mostly consisted of elderly Koreans who remembered the Korean War of 1950-1953. The war ended with the signing of an armistice between the United States and North Korean troops who fought under the UN flag; South Korea refused to sign the deal. Many veterans have maintained an indescribable hatred toward North Korea over the many decades that have passed. Moreover, according to the official laws of the Republic of Korea, North Korea is an anti-state organization.
Passersby on the streets showed complete indifference to the demonstration.