A FORMAL end to the Korean war was promised by the leaders of the North and South today, 65 years after fighting ceased.

A landmark summit took place between South Korean President Moon Jae In and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after the latter became the first head of the Pyongyang regime to cross the heavily fortified border dividing the peninsula since the 1953 armistice.

The two leaders posed for a handshake in the demilitarised zone, even sharing a light-hearted moment when Mr Kim promised Mr Moon that he would stop waking him up with early morning missile tests.

Agreeing to establish a “peace zone” in the contested border area, they issued a joint declaration pledging that there would be no more “hostile acts” and a peace treaty to formalise the end of the 1950-53 Korean war.

"The two leaders declare before our people of 80 million and the entire world there will be no more war on the Korean peninsula and a new age of peace has begun," an official statement said.

The meeting, the first North-South summit for more than a decade, is seen as the first step towards trilateral talks with Washington that are due later this year.

With the White House pressing Pyongyang to abandon weapons development, North Korea now appears willing to discuss its nuclear arms programme.

Mr Kim’s recent announcement that he would end nuclear missile tests was widely seen as a step towards peace.

However, reports of damage to the North Korean missile launch pad are seen by some as being behind Pyongyang’s promise.

World leaders hailed today’s summit as a “landmark meeting.” Another historic event is expected in the coming weeks — a meeting between Mr Kim and US President Donald Trump.