Under strict security measures, North Korea’s ruler Kim Jong Un has arrived in Hanoi for his summit with US President Donald Trump. Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow in the Vietnamese capital, the focus of the second meeting of the two statesmen will be on efforts to secure North Korea’s nuclear disarmament and possible US counterparts.
After traveling more than 4,500 kilometers on his special train, Kim boarded the car this morning at the Vietnam-China border and drove on to Hanoi. Two and a half hours after arriving in the border town, the car convoy arrived at the Melia Hotel in the capital, where a strong contingent of security guards blocked the streets.
Railroad track not good enough
North Korea’s rulers drove the remainder of the journey from the 160-kilometer border to Hanoi by car because the line was not designed for the 60-kilometer-long speed demanded by the North Korean side for security reasons, Vietnamese media reported.
Trump left Washington yesterday. After a refueling stop at the British Air Force base Mildenhall he is expected this evening on Tuesday evening in Hanoi. Tomorrow, Trump will first meet the president and prime minister of the host country Vietnam. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump’s first meeting with Kim is scheduled for tomorrow night.
First, a short one-on-one interview with Trump and Kim’s welcome, Sanders said. Then the two statesmen wanted to get together for dinner. Trump will be accompanied by Foreign Minister Mike Pompeo and his acting Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney. Further meetings are planned on Thursday.
Kim comes with sister
Upon arrival at Vietnam’s border, Kim and his delegation to the station were received by the powerful Vietnamese propaganda chief and Politburo member of Van Thuong. Friendly beckoned Kim in the cameras and mounted his extended Mercedes sedan. Twelve tall North Korean bodyguards first ran alongside the car as he rolled up, then jumped into jeeps behind them.
Kim’s companions included his influential sister Kim Yo Jong, who virtually functions as his chief of staff, and his chief negotiator in negotiations with the US, notorious former intelligence chief Kim Yong Chol.
US press thrown out of Kim’s hotel
There had already been minor disagreements between the US and North Korea, as the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry announced. According to the US press center was previously set up in the same hotel in which Kim descended. However, the ruler did not like it and the journalists had to move to the nearby international media center.
Translation: The US press is being taken out of the hotel where we have spent the day setting up our workspace. https://t.co/UkkmskqBQe
– Jim Acosta (@Acosta) February 26, 2019
CNN correspondent Jim Acosta wrote on Twitter about the Vietnamese announcement: „Translation: The US press is thrown out of the hotel where we spent days setting up our work area.“ The North Koreans were „obviously not happy“ about it that the American press center was set up at the Hotel Melia.
A lot of work had gone into setting up this media center. Send your regards to the advance team who had their time on this: pic.twitter.com/r4hLX9PyCg
– John Hudson (@John_Hudson) February 26, 2019
Acosta’s CNN colleague Will Ripley wrote on Twitter: „Kim Jong Un continues to say whether in North Korea or Vietnam.“ John Hudson of The Washington Post wrote on Twitter that Kim does not want to have the American press center in the same hotel he lives. A lot of work has been put into the US press center – which should be officially opened today. Around 3,500 international journalists are registered for the media spectacle.
