South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in Pyongyang, North Korea, late Monday, where leader Kim Jong Un greeted him warmly ahead of a meeting to discuss ongoing efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

Moon stepped off the plane in the North Korean capital and hugged his northern counterpart. The two men shook hands and smiled as North Koreans looked on, waving flowers and cheering.

South Korea's Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook are greeted with big hugs and roaring North Koreans waving flowers and flags for their third inter-Korean summit.



The 3-day trip marks the first by a South Korean leader in 11 years #남북정상회담 pic.twitter.com/yoW5j2svLf — TicToc by Bloomberg (@tictoc) September 17, 2018

The Associated Press reported that the two men will meet again on Tuesday and Wednesday. This week's discussions are the third meeting between Moon and Kim this year. The previous two took place in the border village of Panmunjom.

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The negotiations mark a breakthrough in relations between the North and the South following years of tension and harsh rhetoric.

U.S. and international leaders expressed optimism earlier this year about the potential for North Korea to abandon its nuclear program after a meeting between Kim and President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE in Singapore.

While Trump declared immediately after the summit that North Korea was no longer a nuclear threat, reports have indicated that there has been little progress on that front and that the North Koreans have yet to take meaningful steps to dismantle their nuclear arsenal.

U.S. officials have acknowledged the inaction, but maintained dialogue with the North Koreans. The White House said last week that planning is underway for a second meeting between Trump and Kim.