First ladies of two Koreas meet for first time
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First couples of the two Koreas greet each other before a banquet held in Panmunjeom, Friday. / Yonhap
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s wife, Ri Sol-ju, attended a summit dinner reception at the Panmunjeom truce village on Friday.
President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook chatted with Kim Jong-un and Ri at the Peace House for a while, before they attended a banquet later. It was the first time the first ladies of the two Koreas had met.
First lady Kim warmly welcomed Ri. “After the morning session of the summit, my husband told me he shared sincere talks with President Moon, which made me so happy,” Ri told her South Korean counterpart. During the banquet, the two Koreas’ first couples enjoyed performances together.
At the two previous inter-Korean summits, former South Korean first ladies accompanied Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, respectively in 2000 and 2007. But then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s wife did not attend.
There was speculation about whether Ri would attend, because she was not with her husband when he crossed the border to meet President Moon.
Presidential secretaries had refused to confirm the first ladies’ participation, before presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan revealed in the afternoon that Ri would arrive in Panmunjeom at 6:15 p.m.
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First ladies of the two Koreas walk hand in hand. / Yonhap
Ri’s appearance has drawn keen attention. Ri has accompanied Kim at recent official diplomatic events, apparently in a bid to paint North Korea as a “normal state.”
She took part in the summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month, attended an inter-Korean music performance in Pyongyang on April 1, and met South Korean envoys, March 5.
Thirty-four South Koreans and 26 North Koreans attended Friday’s banquet, which Moon and his wife Kim hosted.
South Korean participants include ruling Democratic Party of Korea Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae; party floor leader Woo Won-shik; Rep. Park Jie-won of the Party for Democracy and Peace; Culture Minister Do Jong-hwan; Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mee; and Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Park Yong-maan.
Popular artists Cho Yong-pil and Yoon Do-hyun, who performed in Pyongyang earlier this month, joined the banquet.
From the North, nominal state leader Kim Yong-nam and Kim Jong-un’s sister Kim Yo-jong attended. Samjiyon Orchestra director Hyon Song-wol, who came to the South for the Winter Olympics, again visited the South for the banquet.
Three members of the North Korean entourage ― Ri Myong-su, chief of the Korean People’s Army General Staff; Park Young-sik, Minister of the People’s Armed Forces of the DPRK; and Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho ― did not attend the banquet, returning to the North.
After dinner, the two first couples attended a farewell ceremony outside the Peace House.
Source:koreatimes.co.kr
First ladies of two Koreas meet for first time
First couples of the two Koreas greet each other before a banquet held in Panmunjeom, Friday. / Yonhap
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s wife, Ri Sol-ju, attended a summit dinner reception at the Panmunjeom truce village on Friday.
President Moon Jae-in and first lady Kim Jung-sook chatted with Kim Jong-un and Ri at the Peace House for a while, before they attended a banquet later. It was the first time the first ladies of the two Koreas had met.
First lady Kim warmly welcomed Ri. “After the morning session of the summit, my husband told me he shared sincere talks with President Moon, which made me so happy,” Ri told her South Korean counterpart. During the banquet, the two Koreas’ first couples enjoyed performances together.
At the two previous inter-Korean summits, former South Korean first ladies accompanied Presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun, respectively in 2000 and 2007. But then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s wife did not attend.
There was speculation about whether Ri would attend, because she was not with her husband when he crossed the border to meet President Moon.
Presidential secretaries had refused to confirm the first ladies’ participation, before presidential spokesman Yoon Young-chan revealed in the afternoon that Ri would arrive in Panmunjeom at 6:15 p.m.
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| First ladies of the two Koreas walk hand in hand. / Yonhap |