Biography of the leader of the DPRK Kim Jong-un. The sweet life of Pyongyang. How Kim Jong-un is changing North Korea. King of the Morning Star
Leader of the DPRK
First Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and first Chairman of the DPRK Defense Committee since 2012, Commander-in-Chief of the Korean People's Army since 2011, Chairman of the Party's Central Military Commission. Son and successor of Kim Jong Il as leader of the DPRK.
It is known that Kim Jong-un, under the name Un Pak, graduated from the International School of Berne and was fond of basketball, especially the competitions of the North American National Basketball Association. The press wrote that in Bern, Kim Jong-un rarely appeared at school, mostly studying at home, and had problems with academic performance even though, due to his poor knowledge of the German language, he studied in a class where children were two years old younger than him. Kim Jong-un dined in restaurants accompanied by the DPRK Ambassador to Switzerland Ri Chol, who was called responsible for managing Kim Jong-il's secret treasury.
Until he was 20 years old, Kim Jong-un returned to the DPRK, after which his life was kept secret: the press did not have a single photograph of him (only his sketch was known) and did not publish reliable information that he held any positions in government of the country. Some sources stated that he is distinguished by intelligence and therefore is the favorite son of Kim Jong Il.
In the second half of 2008, there were rumors in the press about a serious illness or even death of Kim Jong Il, in particular, it was reported that he had suffered a stroke. These rumors raised the question of a possible heir to the North Korean leader. Previously, the press published information that Kim Jong Il considered Kim Jong Cher too weak to be his heir, and his eldest son, Kim Jong Nam, was called too corrupted by the casino and Western culture. As for Kim Jong-un, experts usually neglected his candidacy due to his young age. Meanwhile, information has been preserved that Ko Yong Hee, in order to make her son the heir to the leader of the DPRK, ordered officials to call him “the king of the morning star.”
On January 15, 2009, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reported that, fearing for his health, Kim Jong Il had appointed Kim Jong Un as his successor. According to analysts, this appointment came as a surprise even to the leaders of the Workers' Party of Korea. Chang Sung-taek, the husband of Kim Jong Il's sister, who, according to South Korean experts, actually led the DPRK during Kim Jong Il's illness, was supposed to act as an adviser to Kim Jong-un. It is noteworthy that in an article published on the same day, the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, citing its sources, named the future nominal leader of the country as Kim Jong Nam.
In February 2009, Yonhap released a report that Kim Jong-un was registered as a candidate for elections to the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK. The media noted that in this way North Korea officially began the procedure for appointing a successor to Kim Jong Il. Immediately after the March 2009 elections, the press did not find any of Kim Jong-il's sons, including Kim Jong-un, on the lists elected to the Supreme People's Assembly, but in June 2010 the South Korean press reported that Kim Jong-un was all -was elected under the pseudonym Kim Jong.
At the beginning of June 2009, Yonhap, citing the National Intelligence Service of South Korea, reported that Kim Jong Il officially introduced Kim Jong Un to the leadership of the DPRK and the diplomatic corps as his successor. Later that month, the press reported that Kim Jong-un had been appointed head of the State Security Service by his father. In addition, the Chunan Ilbo newspaper reported that Kim Jong-un received the title "Distinguished Comrade" (Brilliant Comrade).
In September 2010, the first large meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea since 1980 was announced - a party conference at which, according to journalists, the appointment of a successor to Kich Jong-il was to be announced. Although many sources still claimed that Kim Jong-un would become him, Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, at a meeting with former US President Jimmy Carter in Beijing in September 2010, said that Kim Jong-il himself called rumors about the transfer of power to his son " false rumors from the West." During the party conference, North Korean television reported that Kim Jong-un received the rank of general, took a seat on the central committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and became vice-chairman of the party's central military commission.
On December 19, 2011, the world media reported, with reference to North Korean state television, about the death of Kim Jong Il, who died on December 17 “from mental and physical fatigue.” Kim Jong-un headed a commission of 232 people to organize his father's funeral. Kim Jong Il's funeral took place in Pyongyang on December 28; the hearse with his coffin was accompanied by Kim Jong-un, who, after the death of his father, as North Korean media wrote, became the commander-in-chief of the Korean People's Army and the “Supreme Leader” of the state. However, in the foreign press it was assumed that the main role in the leadership of the country would be played not by him, but by Chan Song Thaek, the husband of Kim Jong Il’s sister, , , , , .
At the party conference of the Workers' Party of Korea held in April 2012, Kim Jong-un received the position of first secretary of the party. This position was created specifically for him, and Kim Jong Il was named “eternal general secretary.” As news agencies noted, thereby Kim Jong-un finally established himself as the new leader of the party and the DPRK. At the same party conference, he headed the central military commission of the Workers' Party of Korea and was appointed the first chairman of the DPRK Defense Committee. In July 2012, Kim Jong-un was awarded the highest military rank of Marshal in the DPRK.
According to press reports, Kim Jong-un is overweight (90 kilograms with a height of 175 centimeters), as well as diabetes and high blood pressure. According to those who have seen him live, he is very reminiscent of his father in appearance. Kenji Fujimoto, a Japanese chef who briefly cooked in Pyongyang for Kim Jong Il, claimed that Kim Jong Un liked to eat live fish sushi and wore a T-shirt with a picture of Mel Gibson, Kim Jong Il's favorite actor , and together with his father participated in “pleasure parties”, at which naked ballerinas danced in front of them to American music.
In July 2012, state television announced the name of Kim Jong-un's wife - Ri Sol-ju; Western media identified her with the singer of the same name. Kim Jong-un has a child who was born in the fall of 2010 or winter of 2010-2011. According to some reports, Kim Jong Il insisted that Kim Jong-un have a child.
Used materials
North Korea leader Kim Jong-un married to Ri Sol-ju. - BBC News, 25.07.2012
Joohee Cho, Akiko Fujita. North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un Gets Married. - ABC News, 25.07.2012
Kim Jong-Un named "Marshal" of NKorea. - Agence France-Presse, 22.07.2012
N.Korean leader Kim Jong-un takes top army rank. - Reuters, 18.07.2012
Kim Jong Un Announcement: North Korea Promotes Leader To Military's Top Rank. - The Associated Press, 17.07.2012
Kim Jong Un Elected First Chairman of NDC of DPRK (Urgent). - Korean Central News Agency, 13.04.2012
Kim Jong-un Named 1st Secretary of the Workers Party. - The Chosun Ilbo, 12.04.2012
Kim Jong Un appointed as chairman of WPK's Central Military Commission. - Xinhua, 12.04.2012
As Rocket Launching Nears, North Korea Continues Shift to New "Supreme Leader". - The New York Times, 12.04.2012
N.Korea's leader Kim Jong-Un fared poorly in Swiss school: report. - Agence France-Presse, 02.04.2012
North Korea calls Kim Jong Un "supreme leader". - The Associated Press, 29.12.2011
North Korean state television is broadcasting live the tears and hysteria of the country's residents watching the funeral of their leader. - NTV, 28.12.2011
Funeral of Kim Jong Il: a parade of 100 thousand troops and nationwide hysteria. - News, 28.12.2011
Sung-won Shim, Kiyoshi Takenaka. North Korean power-behind-throne emerges as neighbors meet. - Reuters, 25.12.2011
North Korea: Kim Jong-un hailed "supreme commander". - BBC News, 24.12.2011
Le dirigeant nord-coreen Kim Jong-Il est mort, son fils Kim Jong-Un lui succede. - Agence France-Presse, 19.12.2011
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il dead, son hailed as heir. - Reuters, 19.12.2011
North Korean Leader Kim Jong-il Dies. - Korea IT Times, 19.12.2011
Kim Chen In(Korean 김정은, 金正恩; born January 8, 1982, in Pyongyang, North Korea) - North Korean statesman, political, party and military figure. Supreme Leader, Leader of the Army, Party and People, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Korean People's Army, Marshal, Deputy of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK. The third son of Kim Jong Il, after the death of his father, was officially declared the “great heir.” The youngest head of state (acting) in the world. Based on the results of an online vote by Time magazine readers, he was named Person of the Year 2012.
Dossier
Biography of Kim Jong-un
- Kim Jong-un was born on January 8, 1982, according to other versions 1983 or 1984 (different dates of birth are given in the media) in Pyongyang, North Korea, in the family of the heir to the North Korean leader Kim Il Sung - Kim Jong Il (the future leader of the DPRK) and his third wife Ko Young Hee, former actress. Kim Jong-un is the youngest son in the family.
- According to South Korean intelligence, Kim Jong-un graduated from the international school in Bern, Switzerland, the commune of Muri-Berne (English: The International School of Berne).
- Since 2002, he studied at Kim Il Sung University (individually) and the Kim Il Sung Military University in the DPRK.
Party rise of Kim Jong-un
- In 2006, press reports appeared that leading members of the Workers' Party of Korea received badges with a portrait of Kim Jong-un. This was the first reason to assume that Kim Jong-un would succeed his father as leader of the DPRK.
- In January 2009, the Trud newspaper reported that Kim Jong Il had issued a personal directive to the leaders of the Workers' Party of Korea, in which he named Kim Jong Un his successor.
- In 2008, construction of a separate residence began for 26-year-old Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang. In addition, the actual appointment of Kim Jong-un as successor took place in January 2007.
- In April 2009, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap, Kim Jong-un became a member of the National Defense Council of the DPRK.
- In January 2010, the DPRK government declared January 8 - Kim Jong-un's birthday - a national holiday of the DPRK.
- In March 2010, the LiveJournal blog of the famous Korean scholar Andrei Lankov appeared confirming the appointment of Kim Jong-un as the official heir of Kim Jong-il:
“New and finally reliable confirmation has been received that the choice of the heir has been made, and the campaign for his elevation is gaining momentum. The youngest son of the current Leadership Genius, Kim Jong-un, has been appointed as the new Leadership Genius. Meetings in his honor were held throughout the country, and relevant materials, which were still formally closed, were published. There are materials in the press, which are open, but not subject to distribution abroad. »
- On September 27, 2010, Kim Jong-un was promoted to the rank of army general.
Foreign Policy of Kim Jong-un
By the end of 2012, having violated two Security Council resolutions (from 2006 and 2009), the DPRK entered the club of space powers.
In February 2013, North Korea successfully conducted the third nuclear test in its history.
As a result of the actions of Kim Jong-un and the rest of the DPRK leadership, who ignored the UN Security Council resolutions, the UN Security Council reacted to tighten sanctions against the North Korean regime. In response to this, Kim Jong-un issued a threat about a possible preventive nuclear strike on the United States.
On March 8, 2013, the DPRK leadership annulled the non-aggression pact with South Korea, signed in 1953 after the end of the Korean War.
Personal life and family of Kim Jong-un
According to the BBC, Kim Jong-un, like his father, loves pop culture and follows NBA basketball matches.
Kim Jong-un is in poor health - in 2009, information appeared that he was overweight (with a height of 175 cm, 90 kg), hypertension and diabetes.
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Little is known about the world's youngest dictator - he does not talk about his personal life, and strange things can be found in his official biography. To find out even a little about what he really is like, you have to rely on observant journalists and sometimes even South Korean intelligence data.
We are in website tried to collect interesting facts about the most oppressive and unpredictable politician of our time, although it was not easy. And in general, maybe he’s not really that scary after all?
1. His date of birth is unknown
Kim Jong-un was born on January 8 or July 5, 1982, or maybe 1983. Or maybe even '84. Why is there such confusion? Rumor has it that the leader wants to appear older and more respectable, which is why his official year of birth is 1982. But South Korean intelligence reports that our hero was still born 2 years later.
One way or another, this is one of the youngest heads of state in the world.
2. His eyebrows are getting shorter.
Photos taken over the years show that something strange is happening to the eyebrows of the DPRK leader: they are shortening. They say he plucks them to look more like his father, Kim Jong Il. Of course, one can only guess, since it would be strange if there was some kind of official explanation.
3. His childhood is shrouded in mystery
This person is also in no hurry to publish his childhood photos. True, in 2014 this photo (and several others) was shown on the screen in honor of the DPRK Air Force Day. It supposedly depicts the young leader of the country, but no one knows for sure whether this is true or not.
4. He selected girls for a local pop group
North Korea also has pop music, although it is not like ours: for example, instead of long-haired musicians, the performers are accompanied by a military orchestra, and the video certainly needs to show how well the North Korean people live.
One of the most famous girl bands of the DPRK is the Moranbong ensemble (we are sure that you are interested in watching the recording with concert). So, they say that the leader himself was in charge of selecting girls for the ensemble.
5. He officially holds these titles
- Of course, this is the title “Supreme Leader of the DPRK, Leader of the Party, Army and People”
- "New star"
- "Brilliant Comrade"
- "A genius among geniuses"
- "Marshal of the DPRK" (since 2012)
Among other things, this person has a degree in physics from Kim Il Sung University and a doctorate in economics from the private Malaysian HELP University.
6. He studied in Switzerland under a different name
A North Korean student registered as the son of an embassy member attended a prestigious school near Bern, Switzerland, from 1998 to 2000. He did not provide details about his identity and was listed under the name Park Eun or Nepak. Whether it was the future sun-faced leader himself, one can only guess, looking at the poor quality photographs. But people who studied with him believe that this is indeed Kim Jong-un. They remember that he was funny, more interested in sports than politics. I didn't study very well.
7. He loves basketball and is friends with Dennis Rodman
These same school friends report that in his youth, Kim Jong-un drew basketball star Michael Jordan in class.
Indeed, the politician loves basketball, and in 2013 he met with Dennis Rodman and showed him his personal island. Despite the gulf that seems to lie between these people, they become friends. Dennis says of his friend: "Maybe he's crazy, but there's something I haven't noticed."
8. He smiles and laughs in all the photos.
Look at some photos of a politician who is terrifying many countries. This is him on the sacred mountain of Paektusan.
And this is testing tactical missiles.
On August 29, the Yonhap agency, citing South Korean intelligence, reported a new addition to the family of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The day before, representatives of the National Intelligence Service of South Korea announced the birth of a child, whose gender and name are unknown. According to them, the child was born in February.
According to media reports, this is the third heir to Kim Jong-un. It was reported that his two oldest children were born in 2010 and 2013. But there is no official confirmation of this information.
Little is known about the family of the North Korean leader and his close and distant relatives. The Kim Dynasty - in the RBC photo gallery.
Kim Il-sung (1912–1994)
Eternal President and Founder of the DPRK. Generalissimo. Grandfather of the current head of North Korea, Kim Jong-un.
The founder of the Juche ideology (Marxism based on national traditions).
He spent his childhood with his family in China, where he joined a Marxist circle, for which he was imprisoned at the age of 17. In 1945, he became chairman of the North Korean organizing bureau of the Communist Party of Korea (1945-1946). In 1948 he led the country. In 1998, he was declared the eternal president of the DPRK.
Was married twice. The first wife died shortly after the birth of their son. The second wife was Kim Song Ae, who is believed to have previously been the secretary of the head of the personal security of Kim Il Sung.
Since the mid-1950s, the regime began to tighten in the DPRK. All North Korean students were required to return from Europe and undergo ideological retraining. It was under Kim Il Sung that the entire economy of the country switched to strict central planning. Market trade was declared a bourgeois-feudal relic and liquidated.
Kim Jong-suk (1919–1949)
Mother of Kim Jong Il, wife of Kim Il Sung, grandmother of Kim Jong Un.
Kim Jong Suk became known only a few years after her death. In 1972, she was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the DPRK, and then the titles of “heroine of the anti-Japanese war” and “great mother of the revolution.” In addition, if the DPRK talks about “three commanders,” then everyone knows that we are talking about Kim Il Sung, Kim Jong Il and Kim Jong Suk.
Kim Jong Il (1941 (1942?) - 2011)
Great Leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Generalissimo (posthumously). Eldest son of Kim Il Sung. Father of Kim Jong-un.
Kim Jong Il was born in 1941, although, as is customary in the DPRK, the official biography reduces the ruler's age by a year. Like his father, he studied in China. Returning to his homeland, he began working in the party, initially being considered the successor to Kim Il Sung.
After the death of his father, he led the country de facto for three years, without officially holding senior leadership positions in the country. Thus, traditional Korean norms were observed, in particular the Confucian principle of filial piety, which prescribes three years of mourning.
After Russia stopped cooperating with North Korea in the 1990s, the country was forced to look for new allies. In May 1999, Kim Jong Il traveled to China, and in 2000, there was a historic meeting between the leaders of the warring south and north of Korea. In October 2000, then-US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright flew to Pyongyang, after which preparations began for US President Bill Clinton's visit to North Korea at the end of 2000. However, it never took place, and the new US President George W. Bush was in no hurry to restore relations with the DPRK.
Kim Jong Il died on December 17, 2011. The funeral took place on December 28. According to the South Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo, they cost $40 million.
Ko Young-hee (1953–2004)
Kim Jong-un's mother.
Ko Yong Hee is one of Kim Jong Il's wives and the mother of his youngest son, Kim Jong Un. Before meeting Kim Jong Il, she was a dancer. She died in 2004 in Paris from breast cancer. In the last years before her death in the DPRK, she was called nothing more than “respected mother.”
Kim Chen In
The youngest of Kim Jong Il's three sons, Kim Il Sung's grandson.
In January 2009, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported that, fearing for his health, Kim Jong Il had appointed his youngest son, Kim Jong Un, as his successor. He was educated in Bern (Switzerland), then studied at the military academy in Pyongyang. In 2010, he was elected to the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea and became deputy chairman of the party's Central Military Committee.
After his father's death in 2011, Kim Jong-un was declared the supreme leader of the party, army and people of the DPRK.
Very little is known about Kim Jong-un, and almost everything is from a book that was published in Tokyo in 2003. Its author was allegedly the chef Kim Jong Il. From the book, in particular, it became known that Kim Jong-un’s mother was one of Kim Jong-il’s wives, actress Ko Yong-hee.
Under Kim Jong-un, North Korea is committed to developing its economy in parallel with strengthening its nuclear arsenals. Several nuclear tests were carried out, an artificial earth satellite was launched.
Since 2016, Kim Jong-un has been subject to unilateral US sanctions imposed due to human rights violations in the country.
In 2012, it was announced that Kim Jong-un was married to Ri Sol-ju. According to various sources, from 2010 to 2013, the couple had a daughter, Kim Joo E.
Fourth wife of Kim Jong Il, stepmother of Kim Jong Un.
For the last, fourth time, Kim Jong Il got married in 2006. His wife was his former personal secretary, Kim Ok. South Korean media reported that Kim Ok studied piano at the Pyongyang University of Music and Dance, and became the personal secretary of the DPRK leader in the early 1980s.
Lee Seol-ju
First Lady of the DPRK. Kim Jong-un's wife.
On July 25, 2012, the Central Telegraph Agency reported on the opening ceremony of the Rungna People's Amusement Park, where Kim Jong-un came with his wife, Ri Sol-ju. This was the first mention of the first lady as the wife of the leader of the DPRK.
Until now, almost nothing is known about her and her acquaintance with Kim Jong-un. Many observers note that her name and appearance indicate a resemblance to the young singer who performed in 2010 at one of the gala New Year's concerts in Pyongyang.
According to one of the versions expressed in the South Korean media, Ri Sol Ju graduated from Pyongyang Kim Il Sung University and studied natural sciences. Her father is a professor at the same university, and her mother is an administrator at a large Pyongyang clinic.
According to another version, Lee Sol-ju did not study at the university, but received a musical education in Beijing.
Kim Jong-nam (1971–2017)
The eldest son of the Great Leader of the DPRK Kim Jong Il and the brother (on his father’s side) of the Chairman of the State Council of the DPRK Kim Jong Un.
Even less is known about the eldest son of Kim Jong Il than about the current head of the DPRK. His mother was actress Song Hye Rim. The media reported that as a child, like his brother, Kim Jong Nam studied in Switzerland. There is no official confirmation of this information.
In 2001, Kim Jong Nam was detained while trying to enter Japan using a fake passport to visit Tokyo Disneyland. He was deported to China, where he lived until his death. On February 14, 2017, the South Korean Yonhap agency cited a source about the assassination of Kim Jong Nam at the Malaysian airport.
Kim Jong Chul
Kim Jong-un's older brother.
Born in 1981. The media wrote that Kim Jong Chol, like his brother, studied at a Swiss school. For some time (from 2003 to 2009), it was believed that he could succeed his father as leader of the DPRK. In 2007, Kim Jong Chol was appointed to a position in the Workers' Party of Korea.
He is known as a big fan of the work of guitarist and singer Eric Clapton: media reported that he was seen at the latter’s concerts in 2006, 2011 and 2015.
Kim Kyung Hee
Daughter of Kim Il Sung, younger sister of Kim Jong Il, aunt of Kim Jong Un.
In 2010, together with her husband Jang Song-thaek, she was appointed executor of her brother and, in the event of his death, was to become Kim Jong-un's guardian. In the government, Kim Jong Il led the DPRK's light industry, and her husband was Kim Jong Il's deputy in the State Defense Committee. In 2013, Jang Song Thaek was accused of treason and executed. The death of Kim Kyung Hee has not been confirmed.
Jang Song-taek (1946–2013)
Uncle of Kim Jong-un.
In 2013, Jang Song Thaek was accused of trying to seize supreme power in the party and state, as well as selling national resources to foreigners at unreasonably low prices, and was executed. Before that, he was deputy head of the State Defense Committee, was a member of the Politburo and headed the organizational department of the Central Committee, which was in charge of personnel selection and supervised the intelligence services. Many experts called him an eminence grise, the right hand and mentor of Kim Jong-un.
Kim Yo Jong
Younger sister of Kim Jong-un.
Born in 1987. She studied at an international school in Bern, Switzerland in 1996-2001 with her brother, Kim Jong-un. Possibly also studied at the military academy in Pyongyang after returning.
In 2014, Kim Yo Jong was appointed deputy department head of the WPK Central Committee. Kim Yo Jong is the only relative of the DPRK leader who holds an officially confirmed post in the country. According to South Korean sources, she is responsible for personnel appointments, as well as propaganda.
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Historic step: Kim Jong-un crossed the border of South KoreaKim Jong-un became the first North Korean leader to cross the military demarcation line into South Korean territory at the Panmunjom border crossing. Kim called this meeting with Moon Jae-in the beginning of a new story.
The leaders of North Korea and South Korea are holding their first summit in more than a decade. Kim Jong-un became the first North Korean leader to cross the military demarcation line and enter South Korean territory at the Panmunjom border crossing.
Kim Jong-un called the meeting with Moon Jae-in the beginning of a new story.
Before the start of the summit, the leaders of the two Koreas exchanged a long (it lasted almost 30 seconds) handshake.
At that moment, both leaders were each on their own side of the border, a short dialogue took place between them, after which Moon Jae-in took a step to the North Korean side of the border at the invitation of Kim Jong-un.
After this, the leaders of the DPRK and South Korea returned back to South Korea and, accompanied by a guard of honor, went to the Peace House in the demilitarized zone, where the historic summit will take place. All this time the leaders held hands.
Before the talks began, Kim Jong-un said he hoped for a frank conversation.
As an AFP correspondent wrote on Twitter, from a distance it seemed that Moon Jae-in was doing most of the talking, while Kim Jong-un was mostly listening to him, smiling and nodding politely.
The long conversation, away from journalists and security guards, lasted almost an hour. At the same time, television broadcast live; the leaders’ words were not heard, but millions of spectators could hear the singing of rare birds preserved in the demilitarized zone.
- What to expect from the summit of the two Koreas?
- Seoul stops broadcasting propaganda programs on the border with the DPRK
Historical meeting
“Today begins a new period of history - the beginning of the history and era of peace,” Kim wrote in the guest book.
Illustration copyright Getty Images Image caption During his lunch break, Kim Jong-un went home to the DPRK in a limousine, surrounded by guards running on foot.After the first meeting of the delegations, the presidents left for lunch. Although Kim Jong-un brought his South Korean colleague a gift from the DPRK - cold noodles prepared according to a traditional recipe - he did not eat it with Moon Jae-in.
Kim returned to his country in a black limousine under guard, but after a break he returned to South Korea to continue negotiations.
Illustration copyright Getty ImagesThe meeting between Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in was the culmination of a gradual warming of relations between Seoul and Pyongyang that began several months ago. It is expected that it will pave the way for upcoming negotiations between the United States and the DPRK.
However, many analysts remain skeptical about the sincerity of the North's recent statements about abandoning nuclear weapons.
Pyongyang last week announced an end to nuclear tests and launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as the closure of a nuclear test site in the north of the country.
Kim Jong-un said that there is no longer a need for North Korea to conduct such tests, since the country has completed the creation of nuclear weapons. The tests are being frozen to ensure economic growth and peace on the Korean Peninsula, he said.
- Why did Kim Jong-un decide to stop nuclear testing?
At the opening ceremony of the Olympics in Pyeongchang, the national teams of South Korea and the DPRK marched as one team with a flag depicting a “unified” Korean Peninsula on a white background.
In March, US President Donald Trump unexpectedly announced that he had accepted Pyongyang's offer for direct negotiations. Before this, no sitting American president had met with North Korean leaders.
Illustration copyright AFP Image caption The previous Koreas summit, featuring Roh Moo-hyun (left) and then-North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, had some smiles but no real resultsThe history of inter-Korean summits is a little richer: in 1953, immediately after the failed DPRK attack on the South, negotiations between the leaders of the North and South took place in Pyongyang, and in 2000 and 2007, also in the capital of the DPRK, “beloved leader” Kim Jong Il (Kim Jong’s father Eun) received South Korean presidents.
However, no breakthroughs happened then, although South Korean President Ro Moo-hyun was even awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for steps towards Pyongyang. The DPRK did not comply with the agreements reached on denuclearization, but, on the contrary, conducted a series of nuclear tests.