| Sports |
By LIM CHANG-WON
With DVD gifts, Kim gets chattier
SEOUL: North Korea’s reclusive
leader Kim Jong-Il warmed up yesterday for only his second-ever
summit with the rival South, offering chit-chat and even a brief
smile as he was given a generous supply of DVDs.
A day after an appearance that was widely described in Seoul as
subdued, Kim seemed more at ease as he ushered South Korean
president Roh Moo-Hyun around a guesthouse where Roh stayed in
Pyongyang.
“Did you sleep well?” Kim asked his guest after his first night
in the capital of Seoul’s adversary for half a century.
“I had a good night’s sleep. The accommodation is very
satisfactory,” Roh replied.
Pool television footage showed shelves of 150 DVDs gifted to the
film buff Kim by South Korea.
The titles included Joint Security Area, a South Korean
blockbuster thriller about a near-war between the countries
prompted by the killing of North Korean soldiers, and Dae Jang-Geum,
a popular soap opera about a female physician attending to the
medieval Korean court.
Kim, clad as always in his trademark khaki jumpsuit, escorted
Roh, his wife and the rest of the South Korean delegation
through the guesthouse, showing them mementoes.
Kim, 65, whose face showed signs of ageing since the last
inter-Korean summit in 2000, admired a gift of an eight-screen
lacquer folding screen inlaid with mother-of-pearl – depicting
12 symbols of longevity including a bamboo tree.
Then with a slight smile on his face and the cameras rolling,
Kim reached out and shook hands with both Roh and first lady
Kwon Yang-Suk.
The leaders of the two Koreas, which remain technically at war
from their 1950-1953 conflict, later launched their summit,
conversing across a polished wooden table with aides sitting
next to them.
Roh is paying only the second visit by a South Korean leader to
Pyongyang.
On Tuesday he symbolically walked over the world’s last Cold War
frontier and proceeded to the capital by road.
The summit was delayed due to major floods in the impoverished
North which killed hundreds and damaged major highways,
including the one from the border town of Kaesong to Pyongyang.
Kim praised Roh’s “significant” decision to make an overland
trip – his predecessor Kim Dae-Jung had flown to Pyongyang for
the first summit.
“He flew over but you came overland. The meaning is significant.
“I’m glad that you came overland this time,” Kim told his guest.
“But I think the road conditions weren’t good, causing you some
inconvenience.”
“I worried about the aftermath of the flooding but it seemed
better than I thought,” Roh replied.
“The people’s warm welcome was very impressive and I thank you
very much for appearing at the ceremony.”
Kim, who is rarely seen in public, indicated he had made a
special effort for Roh.
“The president came and I don’t need to stay at home lazing
around when I’m not even a patient,” he said.
Several South Korean newspapers had described Kim’s unscheduled
welcome on Tuesday as subdued compared to his 2000 embrace for
Kim Dae-Jung.
The Seoul government said it had been gracious.
Kim, who is famously taciturn in public, was unsmiling and
appeared to exchange only four words – “Glad to meet you” – with
Roh.
Several newspapers said Kim, as Roh’s elder by four years, was
expected to be more formal than with Kim Dae-Jung who was his
senior.
Others said the North Korean may be seeking a psychological
advantage in the summit talks. – AFP
 
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