A Kim Jong Un visit to Seoul? It would be surreal challenge
SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — The spectacle and surprise on display at the three inter-Korean summits this year have been, at times, intense. The fourth one could be surreal — if it happens.
Imagine North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rolling through South Korea’s ultra-modern capital in an armoured limousine flanked by crew-cut bodyguards running in crisp, military formation — the same streets where millions protested two years ago to bring down a corrupt government. Or what about Kim taking an evening stroll through affluent southern Seoul, stopping by the soaring Lotte World Tower to soak in the majestic skyline above the broad Han River — not too far from where protesters regularly burn effigies of him?
All this, and more, is possible after Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang this week that Kim has accepted Moon’s invitation to visit Seoul soon, maybe within the year.
A visit to his nation’s sworn enemy by the third generation of his family to rule North Korea since the nations were divided and then fought a bloody, three-year war that still technically continues would be a truly historic event that could test Seoul politically and logistically.