UK Edition
The bottles kept coming and the jokes flowed readily at the wine-soaked Pyongyang dinner on Monday evening that secured the biggest diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea in recent history.
As they landed in the afternoon and marched resolutely in black suits across the tarmac in enemy territory, armed only with a secret letter from President Moon Jae-in, a team of South Korean envoys, led by National Security Chief Chung Eui-yong, had no idea what awaited.
They were pleasantly surprised by dinner diplomacy for 12, North Korean-style. In a mirrored banqueting hall that spared no expense, a table centrepiece of majestic white horses sat upon a muted pink tablecloth and flamboyant flower displays.
They were hosted by none other than the reclusive North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, himself, whose decision to allow them to become the first South Koreans ever to enter the highly secure party headquarters building gave an inkling that he meant business.
The presence of his smiling wife, Ri Sol-ju, dressed in an elegant pink satin suit that coordinated tastefully with the Cold War décor, and of his sister, Kim Yo-jong, a rising political star, helped create a sense that this was a state ready to bring a touch of normalcy to its international relations.
Mr Kim, whose personality has remained a mystery to the outside world, save for a glimpse through the eyes of former basketball player Dennis Rodman, was in a jovial mood, quipping light-heartedly about his image in the international media.
Repeatedly derided by US President Donald Trump as “Little Rocket Man”, the North Korean leader was “very aware” of his image, an official from the South’s presidential office told Reuters, adding that he reacted in a “relaxed” manner by joking about himself from time to time.
After a “grin and grab” photoshoot where state-controlled media secured the optics of their beaming leader as he greeted the delegation, the negotiators got down to business over North Korean hotpot, wine, liquor made of ginseng and Pyongyang soju.
“The bottles kept coming,” revealed a South Korean official with knowledge of the meeting.
According to the "Noon in Korea" media site, the wine was French, possibly Michel Picard from Bourgogne, sourced from an abundant wine cellar stocked before the European Union slapped sanctions on alcohol imports in 2017.
Kim Jong-un is said to have expensive tastes, inherited from his father Kim Jong-il. Prior to sanctions, alcohol imports reportedly doubled to £20 million in the early years of the young leader’s premiership, with champagne seeing a sizeable leap.
Eight bottles of wine, flanked by tuxedoed waiters, stood positioned on a side table, ready to ease the conversation flow.
Mr Kim told his guests that President Moon could rest easy at night now as Pyongyang had decided not to carry out nuclear or missile tests while talks were ongoing.
“President Moon has had a rough time chairing national security meetings at the break of dawn whenever we fired missiles,” he was cited as saying.
“If working-level talks ever cease and hostility appears, (President Moon) and I can easily resolve it with a phone call,” Mr Kim added, referring to an unprecedented hotline the two Koreas plan to install to connect the two leaders.
According to officials from Seoul’s presidential “Blue House”, Kim Jong-un was the first to tackle sensitive subjects, including the resumption of a joint military exercise between South Korea and the US, which was postponed to ensure a peaceful Winter Olympics.
Four hours, 12 minutes, and several courses later, the diners had thrashed out the makings of a major deal.
Mr Kim would meet Mr Moon at an April summit on the demilitarised zone, and would be willing to engage with US President Donald Trump at a historic meeting to discuss denuclearisation. He would suspend his nuclear and missiles programmes for the duration of the talks.
The South Korean visitors returned to the Kobangsan Guesthouse, boasting the most luxurious suites in Pyongyang, to communicate their success to Seoul, via a portable encrypted fax machine.
Returning on Tuesday, the 10-strong delegation had potentially brought an end to the worst tensions in recent years after a battery of North Korean missile tests.
Given their success, the Blue House’s public account of the trip was somewhat under-stated. The unprecedented meeting was “not disappointing”, it revealed cryptically.