Opposites, rivals, heirs and negotiators

The summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will be among the most improbable diplomatic encounters in history, featuring principals who could not be more different — but who also share some surprising similarities.

Trump was the oldest US president ever to take office when he was sworn in a little over 500 days ago, and will turn 72 on Thursday.

The North Korean leader is still in his mid-thirties and remains among the world’s youngest heads of government, but has already been in power for more than six years.

The chosen heir — once his elder half-brother fell from grace — Kim was groomed for years to take his place at the top of Pyongyang’s political pyramid.

And in a one-party state, he has no need to fret about re-election or tomorrow’s headlines — or to respond to them on Twitter.

In contrast, Trump reached the White House via a career in property development and reality television, followed by an unprecedentedly populist presidential campaign that upended the US political establishmentThat is reserved for his grandfather, the North’s founder Kim Il-sung.

But the two leaders also share some parallels. Both grew up in luxury, went into the family business and have appointed trusted relatives to key positions. Both Kim and Trump are unbending in their demands for loyalty.

The two men share a taste for colourful rhetoric — last year Kim called the US president a “mentally deranged US dotard” and was dubbed “little rocket man” in turn.

Both men have shown a predilection for grasping the palms of their fellow leaders, Trump with the likes of French President Emmanuel Macron and, more awkwardly, with British Prime Minister Theresa May.

In turn, as the cameras rolled at a farewell ceremony at the end of their first summit, Kim held hands with the South’s Moon — for several minutes.