Interesting and shocking new revelations about North Korean leader

In an interview published on May 20 in the South Korean daily Kyunghyang, Tak Hyun-min, a former aide to President Moon, said that the North Korean leader was extremely worried about his English speaking ability before his first historic summit with US President Donald Trump in Singapore in June 2018.

UMBRELLAKim Jong-un (left) and Moon Jae-in walk and talk privately at Panmunjeom during their summit in April 2018. Photo: Reuters

According to former aide Tak, during a 30-minute walk together at the inter-Korean summit on April 27 last year at the truce village of Panmunjeom, Mr. Kim told Mr. Moon: "I am feeling extremely worried about my lack of English proficiency. I can speak German well."

The content of the private conversation between the leaders of the two Koreas has never been officially announced and has been the subject of much public speculation for a long time. Mr. Tak said that he himself received from President Moon the heartfelt thoughts of the leader of Pyongyang at that time.

Mr. Tak served as a protocol officer for the South Korean Presidential Office (Cheong Wa Dae) until March 2019 before moving to become a non-permanent advisor to President Moon.

According to the Korea Times, if the information Mr. Tak published is correct, it is really surprising because Mr. Kim studied in Switzerland when he was young and is said to have spent a long time learning English. At the US-North Korea summits in Singapore last June and in Hanoi at the end of February this year, people saw Mr. Kim walking and talking with Mr. Trump, but there were always two interpreters following them.

US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

It is still unclear whether the North Korean leader was too nervous to make such a shocking statement.

The former South Korean presidential aide added that Mr. Moon also told him about having a very intimate conversation with the Pyongyang leader. Mr. Kim and his wife also praised the Seoul leader for organizing the inter-Korean summit.

According to Mr. Tak, the two leaders' visit to the sacred Baekdu Mountain of North Korea during the summit in Pyongyang on September 18-20 last year was not scheduled in advance. In fact, the South Korean side had suggested this but North Korea did not respond and only announced its acceptance one day before the official visit took place.