The first surprise was when North Korean leader Kim Jong-il shattered his image as a recluse by showing up in person to greet South Korea's President Kim Dae-Jung ahead of a landmark inter-Korean summit.
The enigmatic communist leader, attired in his trademark khaki trousers and jacket, waited by the stairs as Kim Dae-jung slowly disembarked from the plane emblazoned with the country's name "Republic of Korea" and its flag.
The scenes stunned millions of South Koreans who were glued to TV screens for the live broadcast of the arrival from Pyongyang.
"What a pleasant surprise," Kim Jong-Seok, an economist at Sejong University, said after Kim Jong-il broke with the past to welcome an arriving guest at the airport. "I never imagined this kind of thing would happen."
The two leaders walked down the red carpeted tarmac with crowds chanting "Kim Jong-il, Kim Jong-il" in the background.
Crowds of women dressed in colorful hanbok, or traditional Korean dress, and men in ties cheered as Kim Jong-il lead a smiling and waving Kim Dae-jung to the car.
Another surprise was the way the two men drove into town. They shared a ride in a Lincoln Continental limousine thought to have belonged to Kim Jong-il's late father, Kim Il-sung.
Television footage showed huge crowds of over 600,000 people lining the streets, cheering enthusiastically and waving paper azaleas, North Korea's national flower, on the 25km drive into Pyongyang.
The crowd chanted "mansei, mansei [hurrah]" and the name of their leader as the motorcade passed.
The two were whisked from the airport to the Baekhwawon State Guest House in eastern Pyongyang near the mausoleum where Kim Il-Sung's embalmed body lies.
The rare public appearance of the usually reclusive Kim Jong-il sparked speculation on what the unpredictable dictator is up to.
Observers stationed in the Press Center in Seoul cheered as they watched a live broadcast of the historical handshake between the Kims.
Chang Dal-choong, political science professor at Seoul National University, agreed that it was a very good sign.
"Kim Jong-il knew this was a good propaganda opportunity to show the world and South Koreans that he is a peaceful character rather than hostile. It was quite appealing," Chang said.
But Ambassador Han Chul-soo said the North Korean leader's gesture is merely a grand show of his power in Pyongyang.
"He showed the whole world that the North Koreans adore him, that he has no problem retaining political power ... which is huge propaganda," Han told the Taipei Times.
"This is a very shrewd political calculation ... he successfully presented himself in a leader-like manner," Han said.
North Korean guides escorting visiting reporters nevertheless told the South Korea media that it was extraordinary that Kim Jong-il had come himself to the airport, calling it a heartwarming gesture of hospitality.
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