The sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has delivered a personal letter to South Korea's president, inviting him to a summit in Pyongyang. The overture follows heightened tensions over the North's missile tests.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/K. Ju-sung
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In the latest signal of thawing ties, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Saturday invited South Korean President Moon Jae-In to Pyongyang, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.
The overture was conveyed by Kim’s sister, Yo Jong, who is currently in the South to attend the Winter Olympics.
She made the invitation during a rare lunch meeting between representatives from the two rival neighbors at Seoul’s presidential palace.
As well as the North Korean leader’s sibling, Moon met the elderly Kim Yong Nam, the North's ceremonial head of state, during the appointment at the Blue House.
Kim Yo Jong carried a blue folder adorned with a seal, which was later confirmed to have contained a private message from Kim Jong Un himself.
"Special envoy Kim Yo Jong delivered a personal letter" from her brother stating his "wish to improve inter-Korean relations," said Moon's spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom.
In response, Moon suggested the two Koreas "make it happen" by creating conditions necessary for him to accept the invitation, the spokesman told a news briefing.
If the summit goes ahead it will be the third of its kind, after previous talks between the leaders of the two neighboring countries in 2000 and 2007.
Back from the brink
It had been speculated that Pyongyang might invite Moon to visit later this year after North Korea was given permission to send athletes to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, a rare sign of more cordial relations between the two halves of the Korean peninsula.
Tensions reached new highs recently, particularly after Pyongyang last year began testing rockets capable of reaching the US mainland and detonated its most powerful nuclear device to date.
As a result of repeated breaches of international restrictions by its nuclear and ballistics program, the North has been subject to several rounds of United Nations sanctions. Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump traded personal insults and threats of war.
Moon had already shaken hands with Kim Yo Jong and Kim Yong Nam at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on Friday in Pyeongchang. They cheered together as athletes from North and South entered the arena together behind a unification flag that shows a united Korean peninsula.
Although US Vice President Mike Pence was seated in the same box, neither the US or North Korean parties acknowledged each other at any point.
Inside North Korea: an Instagrammer's perspective
Despite dominating global headlines this year, North Korea remains one of the world's most secluded places. British Instagrammer Pierre Depont regularly visits the isolated nation - and tries to capture everyday life.
Image: DW/P.Depont
Glimpses of normality
Despite its image of being secretive, North Korea invites foreigners to discover its attractions. But traveling as tourists comes with strings attached, as special guides shadow their every step. The restrictions haven't deterred Pierre Depont, who has visited the country seven times, capturing glimpses of the locals' daily life.
Image: DW/P. Depont
Creeping capitalism
Depont first traveled to North Korea in 2013 - and has since studied the changing face of the authoritarian country. During the last two to three years, he has observed "that in Pyongyang it has become acceptable to show off your wealth." With a growing middle class and a construction boom, the capital seems to be defying international economic sanctions.
Image: Pierre Depont
Pyongyang street style
Connecting with everyday people isn't easy, says Depont. "I had a couple of random conversations with strangers - always overheard by one of the guides." In Depont's experience, most locals don't like to be photographed. "North Korean women are definitely getting more fashionable. But you can only see it in the cities."
Image: DW/P. Depont
Urban vs. rural
Commuting in style: this underground station in Pyongyang dazzles travelers with what looks like marble walls and chandeliers. To Depont, North Korea is "an amazing space for photography. You find no advertising at all, no distraction. It feels like a whole new game." But while the capital - home to the elite - seems to be thriving, other parts of North Korea remain mired in abject poverty.
Image: Pierre Depont
Hidden hardship
To this day, North Korea remains a highly militarized, predominantly agricultural society. Tourists, however, don't get to see much of the living conditions of the rural population. "Every little piece of land is cultivated, every square meter is used."
Image: Pierre Depont
Staged abundance?
Tourists interested in life outside North Korean cities are taken on guided tours to showcase cooperative farms. When Depont visited one such farm near Hamhung, the country's second-largest city, it featured a little market with a variety of neatly stocked goods. Depont recalls feeling like the shop "was just for show."
Image: DW/P.Depont
Elite schools - a tourist attraction
A stop at a model school is an important item on many tours' agenda. The renovated international summer camp Songdowon was re-opened in 2014 and has been visited by the country's current leader Kim Jong Un. "There is something unreal about it," says Depont. "The kids play in the amusement room, using very advanced arcade games and around 20 modern computers."
Image: DW/P.Depont
Omnipresent militarism
The military is central to the country's identity and the fabric of its society. Around a quarter of the population is employed as military personnel, while Pyongyang has one of the largest military budgets in the world relative to its economic output. From a very young age, North Koreans grow up with military imagery. Depont came across this miniature tank on a children's playground near Hamhung.
Image: Pierre Depont
Ritualized worship
Alongside militarism, the high level of political control and the personality cult surrounding Kim Jong Un and his predecessors are ubiquitous. The everyday worship of the supreme leader has left a lasting impression on Depont. "You see the amount of money and effort that goes into holding up the story of the great leaders and their great statues."
