N.Korean leader visited `birthplace` of Koreans in August

North Korean leader Kim Jong Il held late last month summit talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Ulan-Ude, the capital of the Russian republic of Buryatia in eastern Siberia.

Buryatia is home to Lake Baikal, which is known as the origin of the Korean People.

About 25 percent of the republic`s 1 million people are known to look similar in appearance to Korean peoples. A Dong-A Ilbo reporter recently traced Kim`s itinerary while visiting Ulan-Ude at the invitation of the Buryatian tourism authority.

The most vivid memory of Kim`s visit was Central Plaza, home to the world`s largest portrait statue of Vladimir Lenin. Professor Lada Vairma of the East Siberian State Academy of Culture and Arts, who accompanied Kim during his visit, gave a detailed account of the situation when the North Korean leader visited there.

Kim showed up at Central Plaza in a Mercedes Benz sedan from the 1990s with his entourage at around 10 a.m. on Aug. 24, the second day of his tour of Ulan-Ude. Lada, who received Kim after waiting for him on the right hand side of the plaza, said, "I heard that he was an authoritative figure but he was as friendly as a grandpa next door."

Kim reportedly did not hold tightly or lightly when shaking hands, and Lada reportedly felt a normal degree of force.

As if he mistook the professor for an ethnic Korean, Kim greeted Lada in Korean, saying, "Do you speak the Korean language?"

Lada responded, "Very little," slightly opening his thumb and index fingers.

Kim then said, "What`s inside the portrait statue? Is it filled with something?"

Lada replied, "It`s made of bronze and completely empty inside."

Kim walked up about 200 meters, took a bow of about 30 degrees on the right side of Lenin`s portrait statue, and directly returned to his car parked at the entrance to the plaza. He seemed to have no trouble walking as he stayed at the plaza for about 15 minutes.

Afterward, the North Korean leader moved by car to Mega Titan supermarket, which is about a 20-minute drive. When the Dong-A reporter visited Mega Titan, all of the staff there remained tight-lipped as an order was apparently placed to block them from speaking in public.

Had Kim stopped by a large discount store in South Korea, which was far larger than Mega Titan, he would have been totally surprised.

Kim also visited Lake Baikal, which is about three hours drive by car, on the first day of his Russian tour. Roads are uneven and bumpy and remain unpaved at many sections.

According to Russia`s Itar-Tass news agency, Kim toured a special economic zone focused on tourism in the Turka region, a project Buryatia is aggressively pushing for, and took a ferry ride on the lake.

The project site had just several buildings and even appeared a bit desolate. Kim might have sought to visit Lake Baikal and leave his footsteps before he dies because of his keen interest in the place as the origin of the Korean people rather than investment.

oscar@donga.com