Why Kim Jong-un didn't smoke during his meeting with Moon Jae-in

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was free to smoke during his summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27 but did not do so, South Korean officials said.

"An ashtray was placed on the tea table so that Mr. Kim could smoke comfortably while talking privately with President Moon. However, he did not smoke. We also placed an ashtray at the reception table during the talks between the two leaders, but Mr. Kim did not smoke either," an official said, according to a Korean newspaper.Dong-A Ilbo.

The South Korean presidential office official said that the first and last time Mr. Kim smoked was around 8 p.m. (6 p.m. Hanoi time) on April 27 at a post-summit banquet. But Mr. Kim did not smoke in the crowded banquet hall, but in a separate smoking room on the third floor of the Peace House.

The official commented that despite being known as a heavy smoker, Mr. Kim appeared to have avoided smoking during the summit due to “highlighting the importance of the summit and showing respect for President Moon Jae-in, who is nearly twice Mr. Kim’s age.”

Mr. Kim and Mr. Moon held a historic inter-Korean summit on April 27 in Panmunjom. This was the first time in 11 years that the leaders of the two Koreas met, and the first time the head of the North Korean government set foot in South Korea in 65 years. The two countries pledged to sign a peace treaty by the end of this year, officially ending the Korean War after 68 years.