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| 'Dream come true' for Moon as Korean leaders make mountain pilgrimage | 'Dream come true' for Moon as Korean leaders make mountain pilgrimage |
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| Moon Jae-in, the South Korean president, stepped into the shallow waters of Heaven Lake, regarded as the spiritual home of the Korean people, bent down and scooped up a glassful of water. | |
| Kim Jong-un, his North Korean counterpart, watched from a distance. Moon was fulfilling a long-held dream to visit Mount Paektu, which straddles the border between North Korea and China. At the summit the two men held hands and thrust them into the air as they posed for a photo with their wives, the lake in the background. | Kim Jong-un, his North Korean counterpart, watched from a distance. Moon was fulfilling a long-held dream to visit Mount Paektu, which straddles the border between North Korea and China. At the summit the two men held hands and thrust them into the air as they posed for a photo with their wives, the lake in the background. |
| The highly symbolic trip capped a three-day visit by Moon to North Korea, the first by a South Korean leader in 11 years. After two days of talks, Kim pledged to close a missile testing site that was crucial to North Korea’s development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and offered to shut the country’s only known nuclear complex in exchanged for unspecified “reciprocal measures” from the US. | The highly symbolic trip capped a three-day visit by Moon to North Korea, the first by a South Korean leader in 11 years. After two days of talks, Kim pledged to close a missile testing site that was crucial to North Korea’s development of intercontinental ballistic missiles, and offered to shut the country’s only known nuclear complex in exchanged for unspecified “reciprocal measures” from the US. |
| Observers said these measure fell short of expectations in Washington. But inter-Korean relations continue to grow closer, and the trip to Paektu highlighted the close relationship between the two leaders. Moon is an avid hiker and during his first meeting with Kim, in April, he had expressed his desire to visit the mountain, the highest on the Korean peninsula at 2,500 metres (9,000ft). | Observers said these measure fell short of expectations in Washington. But inter-Korean relations continue to grow closer, and the trip to Paektu highlighted the close relationship between the two leaders. Moon is an avid hiker and during his first meeting with Kim, in April, he had expressed his desire to visit the mountain, the highest on the Korean peninsula at 2,500 metres (9,000ft). |
| “I have a dream that I have not been able to fulfil for a long time, which is trekking Mount Paektu,” Moon said at the time. “I believe Chairman Kim will make that dream come true for sure.” | “I have a dream that I have not been able to fulfil for a long time, which is trekking Mount Paektu,” Moon said at the time. “I believe Chairman Kim will make that dream come true for sure.” |
| The trip to the summit on a sunny morning was less of a trek than a photo op. Both Kim and Moon wore black overcoats and black leather dress shoes, and they travelled to the top by cable car. Outings like this have helped build trust between the two men, something Kim still lacks in his relationship with Donald Trump. | The trip to the summit on a sunny morning was less of a trek than a photo op. Both Kim and Moon wore black overcoats and black leather dress shoes, and they travelled to the top by cable car. Outings like this have helped build trust between the two men, something Kim still lacks in his relationship with Donald Trump. |
| The mountain is featured heavily in North Korean propaganda, and Kim has made trips to its summit after nuclear tests or major announcements, most recently when he declared the country’s nuclear arsenal complete. North Korea’s two previous leaders, Kim’s grandfather and father, are said to have been born in its shadow. This has been used to bolster the Kim family’s claim to a sacred bloodline, though the account has been disputed by some. | The mountain is featured heavily in North Korean propaganda, and Kim has made trips to its summit after nuclear tests or major announcements, most recently when he declared the country’s nuclear arsenal complete. North Korea’s two previous leaders, Kim’s grandfather and father, are said to have been born in its shadow. This has been used to bolster the Kim family’s claim to a sacred bloodline, though the account has been disputed by some. |
| Paektu is also a significant symbol in the South, where it is mentioned in the country’s national anthem. Although Moon could have visited the summit sooner from the Chinese side, he had wanted to go by “stepping on our soil”, Kim Eui-kyeom, a South Korean presidential spokesman, said at a briefing. | Paektu is also a significant symbol in the South, where it is mentioned in the country’s national anthem. Although Moon could have visited the summit sooner from the Chinese side, he had wanted to go by “stepping on our soil”, Kim Eui-kyeom, a South Korean presidential spokesman, said at a briefing. |
| Moon was scheduled to fly back to Seoul on Thursday afternoon and he will meet Trump in New York next week during the UN general assembly. The US has invited North Korea’s foreign minister to meet the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, next week in an attempt to restart talks between Washington and Pyongyang. | |
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