Kim in a joking mood, officials say
North Korea’s Kim Jong Un joked about his image in international media while serving South Korean officials local spirits and cold noodles during their unprecedented visit to Pyongyang this week, South Korean sources say.
During the meeting, Kim committed to giving up his nuclear weapons and told the South Korea officials he would like to meet United States President Donald Trump, delegation leader Chung Eui Yong told reporters at the White House.
Kim made light-hearted remarks about how he is viewed outside North Korea in international media, one Blue House official said.
The North Korean leader, repeatedly derided as “Little Rocket Man” by Trump, was “very aware” of his image, the official said, and reacted to comments made about him in a “relaxed” manner by joking about himself from time to time.
Kim told the delegation that South Korean President Moon Jae In could rest easy at night now Pyongyang had decided not to carry out nuclear or missile tests while talks were ongoing, a Blue House official said.
“If working-level talks ever cease and hostility appears, [Moon] and I can easily resolve it with a phone call,” Kim said, referring to the hotline the Koreas plan to install to connect Kim and Moon.
No hard feelings were displayed and Kim Jong Un was the first to tackle sensitive topics, including the resumption of a military exercise between South Korea and the US.
The delegation was served North Korean hotpot the first day and cold noodles — another regional specialty — the next, the Blue House official said. Kim and the officials shared several bottles of wine, liquor made of ginseng and Pyongyang soju, the official said.
“The bottles kept coming,” said another administrative source.