Last year, US President Donald Trump and North Korea leader Kim Jong-Un were having a bizarre twitter war on the social media sites, exchanging threats of nuclear war. Today, in a historic move, North Korea, after taking the biggest step towards reconciliation with South Korea last week, announced that it would destroy its nuclear test site.

In a statement carried by state media, North Korea’s Foreign Ministry said that all of the tunnels at the country’s northeastern testing ground will be destroyed by explosion, and that observation and research facilities and ground-based guard units will also be removed. This announcement was followed by a statement by Donald Trump praising the decision to dismantle the site.

What a difference a year makes! After decades of hostility and threats of nuclear attacks, these new developments between US, North Korea and South Korea are groundbreaking, and hint at finally achieving some hope of reconciliation in the Korean peninsula, after nearly seventy years of enmity. These breakthroughs reflect the effectiveness of diplomacy, when it is done right. One must not forget South Korea’s skilled use of diplomacy in achieving this peace, as it was the dialogue brokered by Seoul that first led to a summit between Kim and Trump in Singapore in June.

The world should not celebrate too early as both countries have reason to be chary of each other. North Korea has a reputation for being unstable and inconsistent on its commitments, and the United States too, with its recent move of unilaterally pulling out of the Iran deal, has damaged its reputation on the international front. Further gestures from both states, reflecting their commitment to peace, would better indicate whether the once hostile countries are going to honour their promises, or if this peace is just temporary.