Kim Jong Un's sister shook hands with South Korea's president in a historic show of diplomacy at the Winter Olympics

Reuters

Kim Yo Jong shakes hangs with Moon Jae In during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics opening ceremony.

• Kim Jong Un's sister Kim Yo Jong greeted Moon Jae In at the Pyeongchang opening ceremony.
• It is a rare show of warmth and diplomacy between the warring nations.
• Kim Yo Jong is the first of her family to visit South Korea in decades.

Kim Jong Un's sister shook the hand of the South Korean president in a show of diplomacy, as the 2018 Winter Olympics got underway in Pyeongchang.

She smiled and shared a warm greeting with Moon Jae In, South Korea's leader, as the divided countries marched under a single flag in the contest's opening ceremony.

Kim Yo Jong was sent south of the Korean demilitarized zone by her brother Kim Jong Un, along with a delegation from their country.

US Vice-President Mike Pence was sitting nearby when the gesture took place. He earlier decided not to shake hands with Kim Yong Nam, the man formally in charge of North Korea's delegation.

The games have turned into an opportunity to cool tensions between the two Koreas, after initial doubt that North Korea would participate at all.

Kim Yo Jong's visit marks the first time that a member of the Kim family has visited South Korea since the conclusion of the Korean War in 1953 and the beginning of the Kim dynasty's reign.

She is a mysterious figure who spent seven years completely out of the public eye.

You can read Business Insider's full story on her life so far here.