Kim Yo Jong, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s sister and close adviser, just sat down for a historic meeting with the president of South Korea in the latest surprising development to come out of the North’s decision to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Kim Jong Un’s sister met with South Korea’s president
It’s a historic meeting at a particularly tense time.
Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
She was joined in the meeting by Kim Yong Nam, another influential North Korean official, and wore a pin with the images of her father and grandfather — the North’s previous leaders.
It’s unclear the exact reason for the meeting, but it’s still a significant moment for the two countries. They technically remain at war, and no member of the Kim family has set foot in South Korea since the end of hostilities in the Korean War in 1953.
That’s what makes Saturday’s meeting so rare: Not only is Kim Yo Jong in the South for the first time ever, but she’s chatting with South Korea’s president inside the Blue House (South Korea’s White House, so to speak).
And there’s even more intrigue: It appears that she brought a folder with her into the meeting. Some have speculated that it could contain a message from the North Korean dictator. Usually his messages are quite insulting — calling South Koreans puppets of the United States and that sort of thing — but he’s struck a much more friendly tone as of late.
“North and South must work together to alleviate the tensions and work together as a people of the same heritage to find peace and stability,” Kim Jong Un said in a major January speech.
It’s likely too much to hope that Saturday’s meeting will end hostilities, but it could help thaw tense relations.
You can see some images of Kim at the meeting with Moon below.
