IT’S A DATE: After meeting in the peace village at Panmunjom along the North-South border, representatives of the two Koreas have agreed on April 27 as the date for the summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The announcement of the historic meeting came early this morning Washington time, and both sides agreed on another planning meeting to be held next Wednesday.

“We still have a fair number of issues to resolve on a working level for preparations over the next month,” said Ri Son Gwon, the chairman of North Korea’s committee for the peaceful reunification of the country, according to Reuters. “But if the two sides deeply understand the historic significance and meaning of this summit and give their all, we will be able to solve all problems swiftly and amicably,” Ri added in closing remarks to the South Korean delegation.

South Korea’s Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon told South Korean reporters, “Both sides will continue working-level discussions while focusing on the issues surrounding the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the stabilization of peace and the development relations between the South and North,” according to AP.

CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM: At the White House, press secretary Sarah Sanders cast the latest developments in a positive light, saying again that the surprise meeting between Kim and Chinese President Xi Jinping is an indication that President Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign has been working. “Certainly we're going to be cautiously optimistic, but we feel like things are moving in the right direction,” Sanders said.

Sanders hedged, however, on whether the much-anticipated meeting between Kim and Trump can be pulled together by late May, just two months away. “Certainly, we would like to see this,” Sanders said. “We want to make sure that it's done as soon as we can, but we also want to make sure it's done properly, and we're working towards that goal.”

PRAISE FOR TRUMP: Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson lauded Trump on Wednesday for improving diplomatic relations with Pyongyang, but warned administration officials to beware of Kim's "end game."

"He was only talking to Dennis Rodman before, so this is a good move. This is positive. This may lead to something decent," he added, referring to the former NBA star who has made multiple trips to North Korea in recent years and has called Kim "a friend for life."

SHULKIN OUT, WHITE HOUSE DOC IN: The White House doctor who raised the eyebrows of some in the medical community for what was seen as an over-the-top enthusiastic endorsement of the president’s robust health has been tapped to be the next secretary of Veterans Affairs. Most Americans had never heard of Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson before his January press conference, in which he said Trump has “incredibly good genes,” and if he had a healthier diet might live to be 200 years old. “It's the way God made him,” he gushed.

If confirmed, Jackson, a career military officer with no administrative experience, will replace David Shulkin, the sole Obama administration holdover in Trump’s Cabinet, as the head of the VA, the federal government’s second-largest bureaucracy with a budget of $186 billion and 360,000 employees. Shulkin ran afoul of travel rules when he took his wife with him on an official trip to Europe, and had to reimburse the government several thousand dollars.

VETERANS GROUPS REACT: While Jackson is an unknown quantity, some veterans groups are already expressing doubts that his resume is a good fit for the task of revamping an overburdened agency suffering from a shortage of doctors and other medical personnel.

“Is it appropriate for an active-duty military officer to run a federal agency? With an official bio that does not seem to contain any indication that he’s held a command, is the president’s nominee fully prepared to lead such a massive bureaucracy?” asked Joe Chenelly, executive director of AMVETS, in a statement last night.

“After more than a full year of progress, the VA still faces large and complex challenges that require continuity of experience and capable leadership. It’s unclear at this point whether President Trump’s nominee would provide the VA either of those things,” Chenelly said.

SHULKIN’S CRITICS: Shulkin has his detractors on Capitol Hill, among them Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., a Marine Corps combat veteran and member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, who had repeatedly called for Shulkin to resign or be fired.

“Dr. Shulkin came from within the VA and did nothing to clean up the culture of bureaucratic incompetence that has defined the leadership at the VA,” Coffman said in a statement. “I’m absolutely convinced that only someone from outside the VA can clean up the VA, and I hope that Admiral Jackson will be Marine Corps tough in getting that mission accomplished. Our veterans deserve better.”

SHULKIN’S LAMENT: In an op-ed in this morning’s New York Times, Shulkin cast his firing as more about the internal debate over the desire by some in the Trump White House to turn over much of the VA’s health care mission to the private sector. “They saw me as an obstacle to privatization who had to be removed. That is because I am convinced that privatization is a political issue aimed at rewarding select people and companies with profits, even if it undermines care for veterans,” Shulkin wrote.

“As many of you know, I am a physician, not a politician. I came to government with an understanding that Washington can be ugly, but I assumed that I could avoid all of the ugliness by staying true to my values. I have been falsely accused of things by people who wanted me out of the way. But despite these politically-based attacks on me and my family’s character, I am proud of my record and know that I acted with the utmost integrity. Unfortunately, none of that mattered,” Shulkin said, ending with this parting shot: “As I prepare to leave government, I am struck by a recurring thought: It should not be this hard to serve your country.”

Good Thursday morning and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre (@jamiejmcintyre), National Security Writer Travis J. Tritten (@travis_tritten) and Senior Editor David Brown (@dave_brown24). Email us here for tips, suggestions, calendar items and anything else. If a friend sent this to you and you’d like to sign up, click here. If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow us on Twitter @dailyondefense.