North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on June 12 sent his sister Kim Yo Jong to the northern side of Panmunjom with his condolences to the late South Korean First Lady Lee Hee-ho.

This appears to have been a strategic decision on Kim’s part: pay proper respect to Lee, who personally traveled to Pyongyang in December 2011 to pay condolences to Kim Jong Il, while keeping inter-Korean politics out of the picture.

Kim likely wished to avoid signaling to Seoul that it is ready to jump-start the relationship, which has remained stalemated since early this year