N. Korean First Lady Joins Welcoming Ceremony At Pyongyang Airport

North Korean first lady Ri Sol-ju attended the welcoming ceremony for South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife at Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang.

SEOUL, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 18th Sep, 2018 ) :North Korean first lady Ri Sol-ju attended the welcoming ceremony for South Korean President Moon Jae-in and his wife at Sunan International Airport in Pyongyang.

She became the first North Korean first lady ever to join a formal welcoming ceremony for an inter-Korean summit.

Ri warmly greeted the first couple from South Korea, maintaining a light smile on her face all throughout the event.

On Tuesday, Ri's first appearances on the television broadcast came as she walked down from an exit of an airport passenger terminal along with her husband, leader Kim Jong-un, at about 10:07 a.m. ahead of the welcoming ceremony.

Unlike Kim, who wore a rather tense facial expression at first, she had a bright natural smile on her face.

As soon as the North's first couple turned up at the airport, the North Korean military honor guard began playing music and North Korean civilians enthusiastically waved plastic flowers, their national flags and the unified Korean Peninsula flags.

Ri clasped hands with her South Korean counterpart, Kim Jung-sook, bowed to her and exchanged greetings after Kim stepped off her plane with President Moon.

Ri then shook hands with Moon after watching the South Korean first lady and Kim Jong-un exchanging greetings.

Moon was spotted smiling brightly as Ri talked to him.

The first ladies then walked down the red carpet talking with each other closely after their husbands as they inspected the military honor guard.

After the ceremony, Ri left the airport in a separate vehicle with Moon and his wife. But the recorded media pool footage showed the wives stepping out of the backseat of another vehicle upon their arrival at the Paekhwawon State Guesthouse, where Moon and his wife will stay during their trip to Pyongyang.

The North Korean leader's younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, was also spotted at the ceremony.

Wearing a black skirt suit with a white blouse and carrying a handbag in one hand, Kim, a deputy department head of the North's ruling Workers' Party, looked busy directing the event with a tense facial expression.

She greeted Moon and his wife with a big smile after the first couples finished talking to each other.

She showed her strong presence as she stayed near the first couples during the ceremony and temporarily ascended to the stage together with them to help prepare the commemorative photographing.

After the ceremony, she arrived at the state guest house ahead of the couples to prepare welcoming the guests and guided them into the house when they arrived there.