previous two summits were held on the North Korean side, and the coverage seemed meticulously scripted. It was likely written well in advance.

In the years after the first inter-Korean summit in 2000, the joint declaration that emerged from that meeting – known as the June 15 Declaration – came to have almost talismanic power in North Korean media. It expressed a broad commitment to continued dialogue, economic cooperation and family reunions. Whenever the South levied sanctions or criticism in response to provocations, North Korea would counter that the South was failing to uphold the declaration.

The subsequent October 4 Declaration of the second inter-Korean summit in 2007 has been similarly brandished. That declaration added a commitment to “terminate military hostilities, ease tension and ensure peace.”

After the collapse of theso-called “Sunshine” Policy – the pro-engagement policy South Korea pursued from 1998 to 2008 – the North frequently cited both declarations as symbols of South Korean perfidy.

This latest summit – the first to be hosted by the South Korean side – represented the first opportunity to observe North Korean media reacting in near-real time to a ceremonial event that they had not choreographed themselves. Indeed, this is the first time we have seen North Korean cameramen scrambling and maneuvering for shots alongside their southern counterparts.

We can expect that the newest declaration – the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification of the Korean Peninsula – will carry similar weight in the country’s political discourse.

The main party mouthpiece, Rodong Shinmun, published the full text of the Panmunjom Declaration. There