North Korean leader Kim Jong Il over the last three years has been gradually opening up to the world through occasional diplomatic ventures and dialogue, peeling back the layers of his mysterious persona.
In his latest move, the 60-year-old leader agreed to receive Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for a one-day visit to Pyongyang on Tuesday, marking the first-ever trip to North Korea by a Japanese prime minister. It is also the first summit between the leaders of the two countries, which have never had diplomatic ties.
The eldest son of the late North Korean supreme leader Kim Il Sung, Kim stepped into the spotlight in June 2000 when South Korean President Kim Dae Jung flew to the North Korean capital for a historic inter-Korean summit.