The bottles kept coming and the jokes flowed readily at the wine-soaked Pyongyang dinner on Monday evening that secured the biggest diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea in recent history.

As they landed in the afternoon and marched resolutely in black suits across the tarmac in enemy territory, armed only with a secret letter from President Moon Jae-in, a team of South Korean envoys, led by National Security Chief Chung Eui-yong, had no idea what awaited.

They were pleasantly surprised by dinner diplomacy for 12, North Korean-style. In a mirrored banqueting hall that spared no expense, a table centrepiece of majestic white horses sat upon a muted pink tablecloth and flamboyant flower displays.

They were hosted by none other than the reclusive North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, himself, whose decision to allow them to become the first South Koreans ever to enter the highly secure party headquarters building gave an inkling that he meant business.

The presence of his smiling wife, Ri Sol-ju, dressed in an elegant pink satin suit that coordinated tastefully with the Cold War décor, and of his sister, Kim Yo-jong, a rising political star, helped create a sense that this was a state ready to bring a touch of normalcy to its international relations.