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Rep. Park Jie-won says Kim Jong-un ignored his greeting at China’s Victory Day parade

Published: 06 Sep. 2025, 13:09 Updated: 07 Sep. 2025, 12:54

SEO JI-EUN
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Democratic Party Rep. Park Jie-won during a plenary session on Feb. 13 [JEON MIN-GYU]

Rep. Park Jie-won of the Democratic Party said he attempted to greet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at China’s Victory Day military parade earlier this week but was snubbed.

Park, who attended the Sept. 3 ceremony in Beijing alongside National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik, recalled the moment in an interview with CBS Radio on Friday.

“I went with Woo and sat behind [Kim]," Rep. Park said. "I twice said, ‘Chairman Kim Jong-un, this is Park Jie-won.”

He explained the distance was “about three or four steps” and insisted that Kim could hear him.

“But North Korean security blocked me, so he didn’t even turn around,” Park added.

He also noted that when he made eye contact with North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, she too turned away.

Despite being brushed off, Rep. Park argued that the encounter still carried meaning.

“The atmosphere was much better than during the June 15, 2000, inter-Korean summit,” he said.

“The fact that Woo shook hands with Kim and passed along a brief message, and that I addressed Kim and spoke to Choe and other North Korean officials, showed clearly that the South truly wants dialogue. I think that has very great significance.”

Woo reportedly shook Kim’s hand in the waiting room before the leaders climbed the reviewing stand, telling him, “It’s been seven years since we last met.” Kim is said to have replied briefly, “Yes.”

Rep. Park defended Woo’s minimal exchange, countering domestic criticism that it was too short.

“The media downplayed it, saying, ‘Why did he only say that?’ But from my experience, it was very successful,” Rep. Park said.

He added that in North Korea, words delivered directly to the supreme leader carry special weight.

“Because Woo conveyed a friendly message in that way, the South’s desire for dialogue was strongly communicated to the North,” Park said. “I think the North would have received it very seriously.”

Rep. Park is a veteran lawmaker with decades of experience in inter-Korean affairs.

A close aide to former President Kim Dae-jung, he was a key architect of the landmark June 15, 2000 inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang. More recently, he served as the head of the National Intelligence Service under President Moon Jae-in.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY JANG GU-SEUL, SEO JI-EUN [[email protected]]