N

orth Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s outgoing personality has been crucial for recent breakthroughs in peace efforts on the Korean Peninsula, South Korea’s envoy to Indonesia has said.

Ambassador Kim Chang-beom described the North’s supreme leader as having shown a humble and open attitude to his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in as the two leaders met for a third time in Pyongyang this week.

As a result, the two leaders touched the hearts of many Koreans with a series of “unprecedented” events.

Kim even invited President Moon, who is a known mountain-climbing enthusiast, to climb Baekdu Mountain in perfect weather, checking an item off his bucket list, the senior diplomat said.

“Such things used to be unimaginable because in the past, there was always tension between the two countries,” Ambassador Kim said during a media gathering in Jakarta on Friday.

At one point during the summit, Kim Jong-un even apologized to Moon for putting him in a guesthouse that was not up to international standards, the envoy told journalists. “This is the best guesthouse we can provide for you,” Kim said, quoting North Korea’s leader.

Supreme leader Kim appeared more confident in engaging with President Moon during their third meeting. The ambassador claims it might have to do with the reformist vision the leaders share, and that there was a feeling they could “cohead drastic measures to develop together”.

“[South Korea’s] previous governments were more conservative and hawkish. They put pressure on North Korea without seriously engaging in dialogue,” he said, singling out the administrations of former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye.

It helped that Moon showed more generosity and determination to its neighbor, he added.

The two leaders spent 15 hours together during the Pyongyang summit. The engagement resulted in Kim agreeing to make a historic visit to Seoul — although a date has yet to be announced. The meeting also ushered in the decision to create a permanent facility for separated families to reunite, as well as establish road and rail links connecting the two Koreas.

Both leaders placed great importance on public health and medical care, as well as the prevention of epidemics in their agreement. They failed, however, to highlight other pertinent issues, especially with regard to the protection of human rights.

“It is too early to detail human rights issues because trust has not been built strongly yet. Discussions about human rights will come up one way or another but we are currently focusing on sustaining this dialogue,” said Kim Chang-beom.

Moon plans to meeting United States President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week, where he is expected to discuss further steps for denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. “Hopefully, in the meeting they will also talk about the realization of another meeting between President Trump and Mr. Kim Jong-un,” the envoy said.