North Korean Leader Shows little Emotion
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il looked relatively well, but smiled little during his first meeting with President Roh Moo-hyun.
Kim, who welcomed the President at the April 25 House of Culture in Pyongyang Tuesday, gave away little in his facial expressions during the event. Seven years ago, wearing sunglasses and bursting into laughter, he looked more than happy to greet then President Kim Dae-joong.
He looked weaker and older Tuesday than in July when he met Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, experts said, raising speculation that his health is not so good after alleged heart surgery in May.
Kim was previously rumored to have been suffering from heart complications in early June when local media quoted National Intelligence Service's inside reports that Kim may have undergone heart surgery at the hands of German doctors in mid May. The organization soon denied the report. But Bloomberg again reported that Kim had an operation in May conducted by doctors who visited the North from the German Heart Institute in Berlin, to open a blocked artery.
However, some experts said his blank face might be a strategy to place himself on the higher ground in negotiations with Roh. At the meeting, he was dressed in his trademark military-style jump suit, and stood still till the president and his delegation came to him.
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The difference came in handshakes, too. While the North Korean leader used two hands to shake hands with former President Kim who reciprocated, this time was more polite _ both leaders used only one.
The rather dry welcome made a sharp contrast to the passionate and warmhearted embrace he gave to former President Kim seven years ago.
He did not show much of a smile to the North Korean public who were gathered to see their leader. Still, he showed off his authority when Kim Young-nam, vice premier of the country, offered two hands when shaking hands with the leader who only gave one. The No. 2 man in the country is 10 years older than the leader.
``There may be some health problems as many people assumed. But his rather rigid gestures could be a tactic to forestall Roh at the talks starting from Wednesday,'' a North Korea expert said.