U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un of meeting at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjeom came at the very last minute, via the medium of social media.
So what had prompted Kim Jong-un to head down south for such a spontaneous meeting with Trump?
Oh Jung-hee explains.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was only "one tweet away" from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Saying this surprise handshake and meeting at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjeom was not pre-organized,... Kim said:
"I was surprised as well. I heard President Trump proposed this meeting on Saturday afternoon."
It was a last-minute, impromptu suggestion from President Trump via Twitter to meet at the Demilitarized Zone.
But despite that, Kim decided to head south to Panmunjeom with his closest aides.
Accompanying him were the North's Minister and Vice Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs Ri Yong-ho and Choe Son-hui the core figures in the North's denuclearization talks with the U.S.
Also spotted at Panmunjeom were Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's sister,... Kim Chang-son, the chief secretary, and Kim's closest aides Jo Yong-won from the ruling party's Organization and Guidance Department and Hyon Song-wol, now in charge of protocol.
Some watchers say Kim Jong-un could have taken this as an opportunity to show North Korean citizens his status as a proud leader, meeting the U.S. president upon Washington's request.
But at the same time, there are also views... Kim took the handshake encounter seriously, as an opportunity to seek a breakthrough in the stalled nuclear negotiations.
By highlighting his relationship with President Trump, Kim clearly showed Pyeongyang wants to continue talking with the U.S. rather than return to hostilities.
Fresh momentum for dialogue was created between Pyeongyang and Washington through Kim and Trump's historic encounter at Panmunjeom.
And it's notable how this momentum was revived by the interaction between the top leaders themselves, rather than between working-level officials,... coming after their recent exchange of friendly letters.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
So what had prompted Kim Jong-un to head down south for such a spontaneous meeting with Trump?
Oh Jung-hee explains.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was only "one tweet away" from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Saying this surprise handshake and meeting at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjeom was not pre-organized,... Kim said:
"I was surprised as well. I heard President Trump proposed this meeting on Saturday afternoon."
It was a last-minute, impromptu suggestion from President Trump via Twitter to meet at the Demilitarized Zone.
But despite that, Kim decided to head south to Panmunjeom with his closest aides.
Accompanying him were the North's Minister and Vice Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs Ri Yong-ho and Choe Son-hui the core figures in the North's denuclearization talks with the U.S.
Also spotted at Panmunjeom were Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's sister,... Kim Chang-son, the chief secretary, and Kim's closest aides Jo Yong-won from the ruling party's Organization and Guidance Department and Hyon Song-wol, now in charge of protocol.
Some watchers say Kim Jong-un could have taken this as an opportunity to show North Korean citizens his status as a proud leader, meeting the U.S. president upon Washington's request.
But at the same time, there are also views... Kim took the handshake encounter seriously, as an opportunity to seek a breakthrough in the stalled nuclear negotiations.
By highlighting his relationship with President Trump, Kim clearly showed Pyeongyang wants to continue talking with the U.S. rather than return to hostilities.
Fresh momentum for dialogue was created between Pyeongyang and Washington through Kim and Trump's historic encounter at Panmunjeom.
And it's notable how this momentum was revived by the interaction between the top leaders themselves, rather than between working-level officials,... coming after their recent exchange of friendly letters.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
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