Nixon Shock
After the "Nixon Shock" in 1971 that led to détente between the United States and China, the North and South Korean governments made in 1972 the 7 · 4 South and North Korea Joint Statement, also known as the July 4 North-South Joint Statement or the Joint Announcement on July 4, 1972. It had a representative of each government secretly visit the other's capital city, and both sides agreed to a North-South Joint Communiqué, outlining the steps to be taken towards achieving a peaceful reunification of the country: