U.S. President Donald Trump's proposal to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un of meeting at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjeom came at the very last minute, via the medium of social media.<br />So what had prompted Kim Jong-un to head down south for such a spontaneous meeting with Trump?<br />Oh Jung-hee explains.<br />North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was only "one tweet away" from U.S. President Donald Trump.<br />Saying this surprise handshake and meeting at the inter-Korean truce village of Panmunjeom was not pre-organized,... Kim said:<br /><br />"I was surprised as well. I heard President Trump proposed this meeting on Saturday afternoon."<br /><br />It was a last-minute, impromptu suggestion from President Trump via Twitter to meet at the Demilitarized Zone.<br />But despite that, Kim decided to head south to Panmunjeom with his closest aides.<br />Accompanying him were the North's Minister and Vice Foreign Minister of Foreign Affairs Ri Yong-ho and Choe Son-hui the core figures in the North's denuclearization talks with the U.S.<br />Also spotted at Panmunjeom were Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un's sister,... Kim Chang-son, the chief secretary, and Kim's closest aides Jo Yong-won from the ruling party's Organization and Guidance Department and Hyon Song-wol, now in charge of protocol.<br /><br />Some watchers say Kim Jong-un could have taken this as an opportunity to show North Korean citizens his status as a proud leader, meeting the U.S. president upon Washington's request.<br />But at the same time, there are also views... Kim took the handshake encounter seriously, as an opportunity to seek a breakthrough in the stalled nuclear negotiations.<br />By highlighting his relationship with President Trump, Kim clearly showed Pyeongyang wants to continue talking with the U.S. rather than return to hostilities.<br /><br />Fresh momentum for dialogue was created between Pyeongyang and Washington through Kim and Trump's historic encounter at Panmunjeom.<br />And it's notable how this momentum was revived by the interaction between the top leaders themselves, rather than between working-level officials,... coming after their recent exchange of friendly letters.<br />Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.<br />
