North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and his wife Ri Sol Ju (L) with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife Kim Jung-sook on the top of Mount Paektu on September 20, 2018 after their summit. Photo: AFP/Pyeongyang Press Corps
Andrew Salmon, Asia Times: Kim deploys bromance diplomacy with Moon on iconic mountain
Hobbled by limited diplomatic firepower, North Korean leader weaponizes charm to win over Moon and Trump
In the latest stage of a relationship that appears to be blossoming far beyond the standards of normal diplomatic conviviality, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Thursday took an expedition, with their wives, to the peak of a famously iconic mountain.
The expedition was mounted after two days of intense summitry in Pyongyang. During the talks, Kim agreed to allow international inspections of the dismantling of a missile engine test site and shut down his main nuclear complex – albeit, the latter move would be conditional upon reciprocal US moves.
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Update: Politics, pride in leaders trip to ‘sacred’ N. Korea volcano (Eric Talmadge, AP)
WNU Editor: Mount Paektu does have a special place for a lot of Koreans. One can only hope that current peace and reconciliation talks on the Korean Peninsula will go beyond just the symbolism of visiting this mountaintop.
