News analysis

Pyongyang pulls out all stops for Moon amid hopes of breakthrough

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Bear hugs, bromance and boisterous cheers marked the third inter-Korea summit this year, as North Korean leader Kim Jong Un turned up at Pyongyang's main airport personally to welcome South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

In a tightly choreographed move, tens of thousands of people dressed in suits and hanboks (the Korean traditional dress) stood on the airport tarmac and along the streets to cheer Mr Moon as his motorcade passed by.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 19, 2018, with the headline Pyongyang pulls out all stops for Moon amid hopes of breakthrough. Subscribe