China News Service, September 19 (Liu Cong) Located on the banks of the Datong River in Pyongyang, North Korea, North Korea’s top cold noodle restaurant, Yuliu Hall, with white walls and green tiles, has recently celebrated its 60th anniversary.

Two years ago today, the Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong Un and President Moon Jae-in of South Korea signed the "Pyongyang Joint Declaration" to promote the peace process on the Korean Peninsula. They ate together here and set off a "cold noodle craze."

　　However, in the past two years, inter-Korean relations have gradually cooled down due to the shelving of cooperation projects and the distribution of anti-North Korean leaflets by "North Korean defectors".

The situation on the peninsula, which has rarely made positive progress, has stalled.

Now, is the "peaceful taste" in cold noodles still the same as before?

Data map: Yuliu Pavilion in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Image source: Screenshot of Zhongxin Video

Yuliu Pavilion welcomes the "year of sixties",

A special historical "witness"

　　The Yuliu Pavilion was built on the instructions of the late North Korean leader Kim Il-sung in August 1958 and completed in August 1960. It is often used to entertain foreign heads of state and distinguished guests.

The most famous here is the cold noodles. Not only does it taste great, it also has a special identity-a "witness" of the relaxation of relations between North Korea and South Korea.

On April 27, 2018 local time, the leaders of North Korea and South Korea signed the "Panmunjom Declaration."

　　On April 27, 2018, the leaders of North Korea and South Korea met on the South Korean side of Panmunjom and signed the "Panmunjom Declaration". This was also the first time the top North Korean leader entered South Korea after the Korean War.

At that time, Kim Jong-un asked Moon Jae-in to taste the cold noodles of Yuryukwan that were brought over from Pyongyang.

On April 27, 2018 local time, North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un (left) and South Korean President Moon Jae-in (right) attended the dinner. The dinner menu included cold noodles at Yuryukan in Pyongyang.

　　The bowl of cold noodles that crossed the border between North Korea and South Korea not only brought the taste of North Korea to South Korea, but also sowed the "seeds of peace" on the Korean peninsula.

Cold noodles caused a craze for a while, and Korean people went to restaurants to eat cold noodles to pay tribute to "a moment in history."

Behind this upsurge is the people's strong desire for peace and stability on the peninsula.

　　And this "seed of peace" bore fruit in the autumn of that year.

On September 18, 2018 local time, South Korean President Moon Jae-in arrived in Pyongyang, North Korea, and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Li Xuezhu greeted him at the airport.

(Photo courtesy of the Pyongyang Joint Interview Mission)

　　On September 19, 2018, the day after Moon Jae-in went to Pyongyang to meet with Kim Jong-un, the two sides signed the Pyongyang Joint Declaration, unanimously agreeing to achieve denuclearization of the peninsula, ease military tensions between the DPRK and South Korea and improve bilateral relations.

　　This time, Kim Jong-un directly invited Moon Jae-in to Yuryukan to taste Pyongyang cold noodles.

　　"The symbol of peace has changed from a dove to a cold noodle in Pyongyang." The British "Guardian" commented.

CNN referred to the interaction between the two leaders as "cold diplomacy."

On September 19, 2018, North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife and his Korean entourage to have a meal at the Yuryu Pavilion on the Datong River in Pyongyang.

In the scene shot on the spot, the representative dish of this restaurant-Pyongyang cold noodles appeared.

(Image source: South Korea YTN TV

"Except for the taste of cold noodles,

Everything seems to have changed"

　　However, two years later, the cold noodles that once made people "ice in the mouth and warm in the heart" have become less "delicious".

　　In June 2020, Chef Wu Shou-bong of Yuliukan pointed the finger at South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the North Korean media "North Korea Today", saying that when he ate cold noodles at Yuliukan two years ago, It seems to do something (to improve relations between North Korea and South Korea), but since returning to South Korea, "nothing has been done."

On February 27, 2019 local time, the second North Korea-US summit was held in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The picture shows North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un and US President Trump shook hands cordially at the meeting place.

　　In February 2019, the leaders of North Korea and the United States held their second meeting in Vietnam, but "to no avail." There are always obvious differences between the DPRK and the United States on the path and method of achieving denuclearization.

Since then, the dialogue between North Korea and the United States has stalled, and the relationship between North Korea and South Korea has subsequently cooled down.

　　It was once proposed in the "Pyongyang Joint Declaration" to reconnect the east-west coastline railways and highways, restart the Kaesong Industrial Park and Mount Geumgang tourism projects, set up a permanent meeting place for separated families as soon as possible, and resolve issues such as video meetings and exchange of letters. Set aside.

　　After 2020, the relationship between North Korea and South Korea has not made substantial progress.

On June 16th, a loud noise from Kaesong made the situation on the peninsula take a turn for the worse. On that day, the North Korea-South Korea Liaison Office building in the Kaesong Industrial Park in North Korea was bombed by the North.

So far, the two sides are still disconnected.

On June 16, 2020 local time, a thick smoke rose in the Kaesong Industrial Park in North Korea, where the inter-Korean Liaison Office is located.

The Ministry of Unification of South Korea confirmed that the inter-Korean liaison office in the Kaesong Industrial Park of North Korea was blasted.

　　Everything seems to be sudden, but there are signs in fact.

　　On June 4, Kim Yo-jung, the first deputy minister of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, first condemned the "defectors" for distributing anti-DPRK leaflets from South Korea to North Korea and issued a warning to the South Korean side.

Five days later, North Korea completely cut off and abolished multiple communication lines between North Korea and South Korea.

The General Staff of the Korean People's Army even stated that the North Korean army has maintained a "preparation for war."

　　The analysis pointed out that the information released by North Korea this time expresses disappointment and dissatisfaction with the status quo of South Korea's promotion of the development of relations between North Korea and South Korea. It then used the issue of "North Korean defectors" to pressure the South Korean government.

　　"(North Korea) everything seems to have changed except for the taste of cold noodles."

Said Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea.

On September 19, 2018 local time, North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in signed the September Pyongyang Joint Declaration in Pyongyang.

Photo courtesy of the Pyongyang Joint Interview Mission

The agreement plays an important role,

Can inter-Korean relations "go in small steps"?

　　"On the occasion of commemorating the second anniversary of the signing of the "Pyongyang Joint Declaration", it is regrettable that the relations between the DPRK and South Korea have stalled. However, the efforts of the leaders of the DPRK and South Korea for peace on the Korean Peninsula are still visible. Let the border be relatively stable." The newly appointed Minister of Unification Lee In Young said when visiting Panmunjom on September 16.

He has repeatedly stated that he wants to restore inter-Korean relations.

　　Li Renrong said that "small steps" will be adopted to promote inter-Korean cooperation.

The South Korean side plans to gradually restore the "Peace Trail" for walking tours in the DPRK-ROK Demilitarized Zone, and will work with the North Korean side to find solutions in many areas.

　　Not only the South Korean authorities, but also South Korean civil society organizations are also calling on citizens to participate in a peace movement aimed at easing inter-Korean relations on the second anniversary of the signing of the Pyongyang Joint Declaration.

　　On the other hand, after assessing the situation, the Central Military Commission of the Workers’ Party of Korea decided to suspend the implementation of the military action plan against South Korea.

Since then, the North Korean side has dismantled the communication equipment to South Korea in the border area and stopped the preparations for the distribution of "anti-Korea leaflets."

Li Renrong stated that the DPRK has made practical efforts to comply with the "Military Agreement."

Data map: South Korea opens the demilitarized zone to the public for walking tours.

The picture shows that tourists are experiencing trekking, surrounded by barbed wire around the trail.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Zeng Nai

　　"I hope that the day when the compatriots from the south come to Yuliu Pavilion to taste the delicious food will come as soon as possible." Two years ago, the chef of Yuliu Pavilion expected this.

　　Whether Pyongyang's cold noodles can once again become a symbol of peace is still unknown, and it is still unknown how long it will take for the Yuliukan to wait for "guests from the south".

(Finish)