DOMINANT Kim Jong-un forced Vladimir Putin to be his “second banana” as he greeted his Russian counterpart in North Korea, an expert said.
Tyrant Putin touched down in the hermit kingdom this morning and was greeted by Kim with an extravagant red carpet display.
Twitter / @spectatorindexPutin and Kim tried repeatedly to usher the other into the limo first[/caption]
Twitter / @spectatorindexKim grinned as Putin conceded and got in the vehicle first[/caption]
AFPPutin touched down in Pyongyang for a two day visit[/caption]
Kicking off his first visit to the rogue state in 24 years, Putin was welcomed with a lavish ceremony put on by his ally Kim.
But behind the smoke and mirrors of a pally display was a fight for dominance between the dictators, according to a body language pro.
Professor Erik Bucy told The Sun Kim “demanded obeisance” from the Russian leader – who would have been left feeling “incredibly awkward” as he has long tried to maintain a macho image.
Cringe-inducing video caught the moment the pair desperately tried to usher each other into a car at Pyongyang airport.
They both repeatedly signal for the other to enter the Mercedes limo first – with Putin eventually conceding as Kim grinned and made his way around to the other side of the car.
Professor Bucy said: “What looks like a friendly welcome is really a dance to determine dominance among two nefarious authoritarians.
“As the two leaders approach the limo, Putin attempts to act as the welcoming host and guide Jong-un into his own limo but the North Korean leverages the moment by holding his ground and keeping his arm outstretched, nonverbally insisting that he lead Putin into the back seat.”
Bucy, who works in Strategic Communication at Texas Tech University, said Kim’s insistence “reinforced Putin’s status as a client and Jong-unn’s as the host and supplier”.
He added: “This cringe moment evokes the social hierarchy of a couple on a date, where the dominant partner demonstrates chivalry by opening the door for the other, who accepts the role of second banana.
“It had to be incredibly awkward for Putin, who fashions himself the supreme leader of the old Soviet order, to be led into Jong Un’s car like that.”
Making someone “second banana” implies they are the second most important person – rather than top dog.
Bucy said Kim holding his ground shows he had “the upper hand” in both this two-day visit and arms deal.
“Putin has no choice but to accept his supplicant status, as he needs North Korean munitions to keep his war machine alive,” he added.
“In the war of images that will unfold during the visit, Russia’s propagandist-in-chief may find himself uncomfortably used as visual fodder for North Korean propaganda purposes.”
Cementing their “axis of evil”, the pair today signed a comprehensive strategic partnership in a bid to expand their economic and military cooperation.
Kim and Putin are both hellbent on creating a united front against the West – and the North Korean leader today said Moscow and Pyongyang’s friendship is now even closer than during Soviet times.
The visit comes amid growing concerns over an arms arrangement in which North Korea provides Russia with badly needed munitions for Moscow’s war in Ukraine
In exchange, Putin would allow economic assistance and technology transfers that could enhance the threat posed by Kim’s nuclear weapons and missile programme.
Russian state media said Putin and Kim spoke face-to-face for about two hours in a meeting that was originally planned for one hour.
Ahead of his visit, Putin pledged his support for North Korea in a letter published by state media.
AFPKim put on a lavish welcome ceremony for his Russian counterpart[/caption]
ReutersA motorcade with the pair’s limo moves along a road in Pyongyang[/caption]
APNorth Koreans waving flowers and holding up portraits of Putin as a motorcade passes in Pyongyang[/caption]
Kim greeted Putin off his presidential plane
He thanked the country for “firmly supporting” his war in Ukraine.
Putin also promised to help defend North Korea’s interests despite what he called “US pressure, blackmail and military threats”.
He also announced that the two countries would look at developing trade and payment systems away from the West.
The two tyrant-led nations are both looking to ramp up a united front against the United States.
In January, Kim sent delegates to Moscow following the North Korean leader’s own trip there in September last year.
He is trying to regain his footing as he navigates a worsening nuclear stalemate with Washington, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula are at their highest point in years as Kim continues to use Russia’s chilling invasion of Ukraine as a distraction to ramp up his own weapons testing.
Kim has also been active in North Korean military demonstrations.
The US and its Western allies have accused North Korea of aiding Vlad by supplying Russia with arms, including ballistic missiles, to use in Ukraine.
North Korea described the allegations as “absurd”.
Both countries are under rafts of UN sanctions – Pyongyang since 2006 over banned nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and Moscow over the invasion of Ukraine.
North Korea said Putin’s visit showed bilateral ties “are getting stronger day by day”, the Korean Central News Agency reported.
And it would “give fresh vitality to the development of the good-neighbourly cooperative relations between the two countries”, it added.
But the US has voiced “concern” about the trip due to the security implications for South Korea – as well as Ukraine.
North and South Korea have remained technically at war since their 1950-53 conflict – and the border dividing them is one of the most heavily fortified in the world.
AFPVladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, pictured sitting in the sunroof of a Mercedes limo, are set to boost defence ties between the two nuke-armed countries[/caption]
ReutersPutin and Kim attend a welcoming ceremony at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang[/caption]
AP:Associated PressVladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un meeting back in 2019[/caption]