Trump and Kim's body language said both tried to show they were in control
Trump, Kim confident but body language reveals nerves at first meeting
A body language expert said the two leaders found it tough to disguise their nervousness once they sat down to their meeting with Trump displaying a slanted smile and fidgeting with his hands, and Kim leaning and staring at the ground
Trump and Kim concluded their first historic meeting — it really is, a sitting US President and a North Korean leader have never met before, not even spoken on the phone — today.
The one-on-one, along with translators, lasted about 48 minutes.
Reuters quoted a body language expert as saying Trump and Kim both sought to project a sense of command as they began their summit,
The body language expert said their handshake, which lasted over 10 seconds, showed both leaders seeking to take charge of their encounter. Trump spoke to Kim during the handshake, while the North Korean leader listened affirmatively.
"Their handshake seems to be between peers," Karen Leong, Managing Director of Singapore-headquartered Influence Solutions, said. "Trump seemed to be very aware of this, that he needed to up the stakes and be seen that he is the leader."
Trump arrived to the summit looking serious, and showed off the power-grab gestures most recently seen during the G7 summit this week. He patted the North Korean leader on the arm twice and also initiated a handshake while talking to the media about the "successful relationship".
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Trump did most of the talking and Kim appeared to listen attentively, turning to him three times during their walk towards the library they were meeting in. But he also patted the US President's arm, in an attempt to show control over the encounter.
Trump, who is more than twice as old Kim who is reportedly 34, appeared to lead the way to the library, placing his hand on the North Korean leader's back.
But Leong said the two leaders found it tough to disguise their nervousness once they sat down to their meeting with Trump displaying a slanted smile and fidgeting with his hands, and Kim leaning and staring at the ground.
Ahead of the meeting, Trump had said he would be able to work out within the first minute whether his North Korean counterpart was serious about making peace.
"I think that very quickly I'll know that something good is going to happen," Trump said in Canada during the G7 meeting. "I also think I'll know if it's going to happen fast – it may not, but I'll know pretty quickly whether or not, in my opinion, something positive will happen."
The two leaders had, before their sudden thaw, been trading insults for months with economic sanctions on North Korea ramped up in response to its nuclear weapons programme.