"Park Jie-won Called Out Twice, 'This is Park Jie-won'... How Did Kim Jong-un Respond?"

Behind the Scenes of the 80th Victory Day Anniversary
"A Positive Signal for Inter-Korean Dialogue"

Park Jiwon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea who attended the 80th anniversary ceremony of China's Victory Day on September 3, revealed that he approached Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, at the event and tried to speak to him directly, but was ignored.

Kim Jong Un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, Park Jiwon, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On September 5, during an appearance on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' Park Jiwon described the situation when he met Chairman Kim Jong Un at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Park explained that he was about three to four steps away from Chairman Kim and called out twice, saying, "Chairman Kim, this is Park Jiwon." However, he added, "Because the North Korean bodyguards blocked me, he did not even turn around." Park also mentioned that he made eye contact with Choe Son Hui, North Korea's Foreign Minister, but was also ignored by her.

Representative Jiwon Park shared an anecdote after meeting Chairman Kim Jong Un during the Victory Day commemorative event held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on the 3rd.

Despite the North Korean delegation's unfriendly response, Park Jiwon attached significant meaning to the encounter. He stated, "The atmosphere was much better than during the June 15 Inter-Korean Summit in 2000," and emphasized that National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik's direct handshake and conversation with Chairman Kim, as well as his own attempt to speak to both Chairman Kim and Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, were acts that "directly conveyed South Korea's sincere desire for dialogue."

At the same event, National Assembly Speaker Woo Wonshik also had a brief conversation and handshake with Chairman Kim Jong Un in the waiting room before ascending to the viewing platform. Speaker Woo greeted him by saying, "It's been seven years since we last met," to which Chairman Kim reportedly replied with a brief "Yes."

Regarding the media's downplaying of the meeting between the two, Park Jiwon emphasized, "Based on my experience, it was very successful." He analyzed that "Speaker Woo's delivery of a friendly message strongly communicated South Korea's willingness for inter-Korean dialogue, and North Korea must have found it very impressive as well."