Trump-Kim summit: What's in a name? Signatures show ambition, experts say

The signatures of US President Donald Trump (left) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are seen on a document following a signing ceremony at the Capella Singapore hotel on June 12, 2018. PHOTO: AFP

SINGAPORE (REUTERS) - Mr Kim Jong Un's distinctive signature, penned on a historic agreement with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, indicates his ambition and creativity, handwriting experts said.

Mr Trump's signature, by contrast, indicates a more guarded personality, they said.

Graphologist Koo Bon-jin said Mr Kim's signature suggested an ambitious man who is "intuitive, rather than rational and logical".

"He also writes very fast, which indicates he's quick-witted and impatient," Mr Koo added.

Mr Kim's signature contrasts with Mr Trump's angular, closely packed autograph, said Ms Karen Leong, a body language expert and director of Singapore-based consultants Influence Solutions.

"There is tremendous space between each character, which indicates a creative individual who is open to taking on new ideas, to evolving," Ms Leong said of Mr Kim's signature.

"It indicates a confident person with big dreams and ambitions."

Mr Trump's signature, which Leong said looked like "arrows or skyscrapers", points to people who "tend to wear a mask to hide their true nature".

"While both signatures are very different, as both men really have different personalities, both in their own way want to make their mark," she added.

Mr Ahn Chan Il, a former North Korean military officer who heads the World Institute for North Korea Studies in Seoul, said Mr Kim's slanting signature was similar to those of his father and grandfather, both former leaders of North Korea.

"Not just the Kim family, but ordinary North Koreans would try hard to imitate the handwriting, believing it's nice and divine," added Mr Ahn, who defected to South Korea in 1979.

The slanting style is shared by Mr Kim's sister, Ms Kim Yo Jong, who was also at the signing on Tuesday (June 12).

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