PANMUNJOM, 27 April (BelTA –Yonhap) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un emerged from a veil of secrecy Friday as he made a historic crossing of the tense inter-Korean border for a summit with President Moon Jae-in.
In a black Mao-style suit, the reclusive state's leader came out of a border liaison office building in the North at the truce village of Panmunjom, flanked by his key aides and bodyguards, according to live TV footage.
Kim walked toward a four-meter-wide pathway between two blue conference buildings -- called T2 and T3 -- straddling the border in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of the truce village.
With a smile on his face, President Moon was waiting to greet the young North Korean leader at concrete curbs that serve as the Military Demarcation Line (MDL).
The two leaders had a historic handshake right across the border at 9:29 a.m., followed by Kim's border crossing amid intense media coverage to capture the historic moment of the two leaders' encounter.
Then, Kim made an unexpected hand gesture to Moon to step to the North Korean side of Panmunjom, an offer dearly accepted by Moon. The two leaders, hand in hand, briefly crossed the border together and returned to the South's side.
Kim has become the first North Korean leader to set foot on South Korean soil since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
