Seoul fan clubs get ready for Kim’s visit
Kim Jong Un, the North Korean leader, has written a rare letter to Seoul vowing to ‘‘frequently’’ meet Moon Jae-in, South Korea’s president, to discuss nuclear disarmament.
In the missive, described by South Korean officials as warm in tone, Kim pledged to pursue peace between the two countries and expressed regret that he had been so far unable to visit South Korea.
The North Korean leader, long denounced as a dictator in the South, can expect a warm welcome from at least a section of the South Korean population if he arrives.
In recent months fan clubs have sprung up to prepare a welcoming party.
Earlier this month, dozens of South Korean students met in Seoul’s Maronie Park to discuss their unlikely new hero.
‘‘Let’s make reunification happen a minute sooner,’’ the students chanted, in a refrain referring to their political goal to see the Korean peninsula unified.
Such scenes would have been unthinkable in the South Korean capital just one year ago. Not only because Pyongyang was still threatening Seoul and Washington with the prospect of war, but because the South’s National Security Act was used to jail anyone ‘‘praising, inciting or propagating the activities of an anti-government organisation’’.
The enforcement of the 1948 law has been relaxed, and the more tolerant political atmosphere has allowed at least a dozen civic groups to spring up as an unofficial welcoming squad for Kim’s planned visit to Seoul.
Kim Han-sung, 28, who heads the Korea Progressive University Student’s Union, said: ‘‘We are also planning for a candlelight cultural festival, campaigns, and street performances to welcome him [Kim Jong Un].’’ –