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South Korean President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un upon meeting for the first time at the Panmunjeom Joint Security Area on Apr. 27. (by Kim Kyung-ho

South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met for the first time at 9:30 am on Apr. 27 for an unscripted display that was all the more moving for not having been coordinated beforehand.

While chatting on the topic of an honor guard review, Moon obliquely hinted at plans to invite Kim.

“If you invite me, I am always willing to go to the Blue House,” Kim replied, as reported by Blue House Senior Secretary to the President for Public Relations Yoon Young-chan from the press center set up in Panmunjeom’s Freedom House following the two leader’s morning meeting.

At the start of his briefing, Yoon said he would “report the details of the closed-door discussion between the two leaders today, from the start of their historic meeting at the MDL [Military Demarcation Line] to the pleasantries they exchanged.”

Yoon began by relating the circumstances of Moon’s trip over the MDL. After meeting and shaking hands with Kim there, Moon reportedly half-jokingly asked, “You’re coming to the South, so when will I be able to cross over [into North Korea]?”

After crossing the MDL to the South, Kim asked Moon, “Would you like to cross now?” He then proceeded to take Moon’s hand and walk him over to the North Korean side.

“Chairman Kim and President Moon Jae-in took an unscheduled photograph today on the North Korean side of the MDL [as a result],” Yoon said.

While Moon and Kim were inspecting the honor guard, Moon hinted that he would like to invite Kim to the Blue House, and Kim jumped on the offer. “Even foreigners like our traditional honor guard, so it’s too bad that what we’re showing you today is just a simplified version. If you came by the Blue House, we could put on a much better show,” Moon said.

At this veiled invitation, Kim was quoted as saying, “Is that so? With your invitation, I’m willing to visit the Blue House at any time.”

“I expected to meet you in Pyongyang, but it’s even better to meet you here,” Kim reportedly said. “Many people are excitedly watching us at this place that symbolizes conflict. I hope that we take this as a precious opportunity to heal the wounds between North and South Korea.”

Kim’s candid and unconventional manner of speaking is evident at several points in the conversation between the two leaders that Yoon recounted. When Moon shifted the topic to Mt. Baekdu and mentioned his desire to visit the North, Kim said, “If you visit, I’m worried that you would be inconvenienced by our deficient system of transportation. The people who attended the Pyeongchang Olympics said the high-speed trains were great. It might be embarrassing to visit the North after enjoying such conditions here in the South. We’ll make preparations to ensure your convenience when you visit.”

“If we linked our railroads with North Korea, everyone could ride high-speed trains both in South and North Korea. That was part of the June 15 Statement [from the 2000 inter-Korean summit], but ten years have gone by without that becoming a reality. It’s so sad that those efforts were interrupted by changes in inter-Korean relations. Thanks to your courageous decision, today we have reconnected a bloodline that was divided for ten years,” Moon said.

Considering that North Korea has been under tough sanctions because of its development of nuclear weapons and missiles, the prevailing view has been that economic cooperation would not be one of the main agenda items during the inter-Korean summit. But after chatting about the paintings of Jangbaek Waterfall and Seongsan Sunrise Peak in front of the reception area of the House of Peace, the two leaders naturally steered the conversation toward tourism at Mt. Baekdu and transportation infrastructure, including high-speed trains.

The two leaders were also relaxed enough to break the ice by wisecracking about sensitive security issues. “I hear you’ve lost a lot of sleep attending meetings of the National Security Council because of us. I guess you’ve gotten used to getting up in the middle of the night,” Kim said with a smile.

“You gave me some advance warning about that during the special delegation’s visit, so I think I’ll be able to rest easy from now on,” Moon replied.

By Kim Bo-hyeop, staff reporter

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