By Yi Whan-woo
When he became the first North Korean leader to set foot in the southern side of the demilitarized zone to meet President Moon Jae-in, Kim Jong-un appeared to be signaling that he will communicate candidly with the outside world.
Because his reclusive state deifies Kim in a strict, scripted and controlled manner, everything about him _ including his facial expressions, walk, gesture, voice, black Mao suit and signature hairstyle _ was streamed live by global media outlets.
The young ruler, who consolidated his power with a reign of terror, had a commanding presence as many saw from North Korea's state-controlled television, when he was surrounded by aides and bodyguards before reaching the end of the DMZ line, shaking hands with Moon and crossing the line.
Kim showed he is capable of showmanship when he improvised and invited Moon to step jointly into the northern side of the DMZ for a photo, a gesture that brought applaud from Seoul and Pyongyang officials.
The invitation was not part of the scenario rehearsed by the two Koreas early this week.
"He instantly made the offer when Moon expressed his wish to cross to the northern side of the DMZ," said Moon's press secretary Yoon Young-chan.
Kim, who has tried to leave an impression as the leader of a normal state, acted just as other heads of states would do when a girl from the South Korean side greeted him with flowers.
Standing next to Moon, Kim gently put his hand around the girl's shoulder as they were photographed together.
However, the commander-in-chief of the (North) Korean People's Army gave a serious look before he and Moon jointly inspected the 300-man honor guard of South Korea.
Described by Moon's envoys to Pyongyang in March as outspoken, Kim showed a sense of humor during his speech before the inter-Korean summit began at the House of Peace.
Kim referred to the frequent emergency meetings of the National Security Council convened by Moon last year over North Korea's ballistic missile tests and jokingly said, "President Moon must be used to waking up early in the morning (to convene the NSC meetings)."
While North Korea propaganda portrays Kim's two late predecessors _ Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il _ as flawless, the young leader in his 30s has recently acknowledged his "lack of leadership" experience.
For instance, he promptly apologized over the death of Chinese tourists killed in a bus accident in North Korea on April 22.
Kim said that if Moon were to visit North Korea, the poor traffic infrastructure there might cause inconvenience.
"Those of us who participated in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics spoke highly of the bullet trains," Kim said. "Southern Korean visitors to the North may be embarrassed by North Korea's traffic system."
When he became the first North Korean leader to set foot in the southern side of the demilitarized zone to meet President Moon Jae-in, Kim Jong-un appeared to be signaling that he will communicate candidly with the outside world.
Because his reclusive state deifies Kim in a strict, scripted and controlled manner, everything about him _ including his facial expressions, walk, gesture, voice, black Mao suit and signature hairstyle _ was streamed live by global media outlets.
The young ruler, who consolidated his power with a reign of terror, had a commanding presence as many saw from North Korea's state-controlled television, when he was surrounded by aides and bodyguards before reaching the end of the DMZ line, shaking hands with Moon and crossing the line.
Kim showed he is capable of showmanship when he improvised and invited Moon to step jointly into the northern side of the DMZ for a photo, a gesture that brought applaud from Seoul and Pyongyang officials.
The invitation was not part of the scenario rehearsed by the two Koreas early this week.
"He instantly made the offer when Moon expressed his wish to cross to the northern side of the DMZ," said Moon's press secretary Yoon Young-chan.
Kim, who has tried to leave an impression as the leader of a normal state, acted just as other heads of states would do when a girl from the South Korean side greeted him with flowers.
Standing next to Moon, Kim gently put his hand around the girl's shoulder as they were photographed together.
However, the commander-in-chief of the (North) Korean People's Army gave a serious look before he and Moon jointly inspected the 300-man honor guard of South Korea.
Described by Moon's envoys to Pyongyang in March as outspoken, Kim showed a sense of humor during his speech before the inter-Korean summit began at the House of Peace.
Kim referred to the frequent emergency meetings of the National Security Council convened by Moon last year over North Korea's ballistic missile tests and jokingly said, "President Moon must be used to waking up early in the morning (to convene the NSC meetings)."
While North Korea propaganda portrays Kim's two late predecessors _ Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il _ as flawless, the young leader in his 30s has recently acknowledged his "lack of leadership" experience.
For instance, he promptly apologized over the death of Chinese tourists killed in a bus accident in North Korea on April 22.
Kim said that if Moon were to visit North Korea, the poor traffic infrastructure there might cause inconvenience.
"Those of us who participated in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics spoke highly of the bullet trains," Kim said. "Southern Korean visitors to the North may be embarrassed by North Korea's traffic system."
