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| South Korean President Moon Jae-in, second from right, and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, hug as South Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook, left, shakes hands with her North Korean counterpart Ri Sol-ju at Pyongyang Sunan International Airport, Tuesday. The two Korean leaders are schedule to have their third summit from Sept. 18 to 20 to discuss denuclearization and establishing peace on the Korean Peninsula. / Joint Press Corps |
By Park Ji-won, Joint Press Corps
SEOUL/PYONGYANG _ Compared to previous visits by South Korean leaders to Pyongyang, North Korea provided exceptional treatment for South Korean President Moon Jae-in during the welcoming ceremony.
Moon and first lady Kim Jung-sook landed at Pyongyang's Sunan International Airport Tuesday where they were greeted warmly by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and his wife Ri Sol-ju.
The South Korean first couple made their first appearance in the North stepping down from the presidential plane side by side, while the North Korean first couple waited to greet them to show their hospitality. The presence of the North Korean first lady was unexpected; it was the best treatment they could have given to the visiting South Korean leader.
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In the past, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il waited alone to meet the two South Korean leaders, Kim Dae-jung in 2000 and Roh Moo-hyun in 2007, without his wife, who did not make public appearances even though South Korean first ladies accompanied their husbands there.
The event was broadcast live, another rare move for North Korea. So far, the news relating to the North has been highly limited. However, this time, the live broadcast showed the leaders of the two Koreas meeting and walking towards the airport gate in the capital city of North Korea. In past summits, only the first moments of the two leaders' encounters were aired live. Chief presidential secretary Im Jong-seok said some official events will be aired live.
Many foreign media outlets reported the North's change in dealing with media exposure, saying it is unprecedented.
North Korea partially allowed live broadcasting during the April 27 summit, likely showing Kim Jong-un in public in real time for the first time.
Meanwhile, Moon approached North Korean citizens, who were at the airport to cheer, hold flowers and shake hands. It is likely the first time for the leader of the South to have direct interaction with ordinary North Koreans on the spot. It is unknown whether it was a prescheduled event, but at least it was not known to the public.
In previous meetings, Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun didn't have physical contact with ordinary North Koreans.
Also, Moon and Kim jointly participated in a car parade through the streets of Pyongyang where North Koreans along both sides of the street were waving North Korean and unification flags, and flowers. The two leaders showed their heads and upper bodies outside of the bulletproof car they were riding in, waving to North Korean citizens. It was the first such joint move for the two leaders as nothing like this had happened at previous summits due to security concerns.
In 2000, the North made preparations for an open-car parade for Kim, but the South rejected this due to security reasons.
In 2007, Roh Moo-hyun participated in the parade without Kim Jong-il, accompanied by Kim Yong-nam, nominal head of state.
