HONG KONG/SINGAPORE ¨C When Kim Jong Un made his first official trip outside North Korea in March, he slipped into China aboard an armored train and his countrymen didn¡¯t learn about it until he was safely home. Kim¡¯s excursion to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump was a much different story.
During Kim¡¯s three days in Singapore, North Korean state media trumpeted daily images never before seen in Pyongyang. There on the front page of the ruling party¡¯s flagship newspaper was Kim touring monuments to capitalism, stepping out of a Chinese jet and smiling while shaking hands with the ¡°imperialist¡± U.S. president.
The propaganda push not only signaled Kim¡¯s new confidence on the world stage after a series of diplomatic wins, it also conveyed a desire for greater openness and economic development. In the past, North Korean leaders had avoided images like the borrowed jet ¡ª a sign of the country¡¯s industrial weakness ¡ª or casual interactions with U.S. officials, which undercuts decades of official animosity.
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