In June 2000, a historic summit meeting between Kim Jong Il, Chairman of the National Defence Commission of the DPRK, and Kim Dae Jung, president of south Korea, was held in Pyongyang.
During the meeting the south Koreans from all walks of life were so fascinated by Kim Jong Il’s noble traits that they expressed great admiration for him.
The moment when Kim Jong Il took Kim Dae Jung’s hand in his own and raised it to announce that the historic north-south joint declaration was concluded, all the participants were filled with deep emotion and delight.
The south Korean journalists were also beside themselves, so they missed the golden chance of photographing the occasion. So they importuned the senior presidential information secretary to ask Kim Jong Il to pose for them. He told Kim Jong Il what they wanted. With a broad smile on his face, Kim Jong Il asked Kim Dae Jung to accept their request.
Kim Jong Il went to the platform again with Kim Dae Jung and posed for a picture to be taken of them hand in hand.
When the photography session was over, he joked to the journalists that they ought to pay for their acting, causing another ripple of laughter.
Witnessing such historic scene, unprecedented in the world history of politics or in the records of summit meetings, the south Korean people lavished unstinted praise on the greatness of Kim Jong Il, who plucks the heartstrings of all people by dint of his informal character and witty and humorous remarks.
