Kim's Image Among S Korean Students Radically Improved After Summit - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - North Korean leader Kim Jong Un fundamentally improved his image among South Korean students following the landmark inter-Korean summit, with 48.3 percent of them saying they view him positively, local media reported on Tuesday, citing a fresh poll.

Before the summit, only 4.7 percent of students had a favorable perception of the North Korean leader, while about 87.7 percent of respondents felt the opposite, the Yonhap news agency reported, citing a poll conducted among students of the Kookmin University in Seoul. As of now, only 25.8 percent of these students viewed Kim negatively.

Speaking about associations evoked by Kim's image, "dictator," "violence," and "unpredictability" have given way to such characteristics as "youthful," "charming," and "open-minded" since the summit.

READ MORE: Pyongyang Slams Japan's 'Hostile Behavior' Ahead of N Korea-US Summit — Reports

The situation on the Korean Peninsula has thawed significantly since the start of the year, leading to the organization of talks between the North Korean leader and his South Korean counterpart.

On April 27, a historic summit between Kim and South Korean President Moon Jae-in took place in the truce village of Panmunjom inside the demilitarized zone that separates the two countries. During the meeting, Kim and Moon signed a joint declaration, agreeing to take measures to support international efforts aimed at denuclearizing the peninsula and proceeding with reunion programs for separated Korean families.