Kim Jong-un to make 'official friendly visit' to Vietnam
Video footage from North Korea's state-run Korean Central Television (KCTV) shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waving from a train as it leaves Pyongyang, Jan. 7, to head to Beijing for a fourth North Korea-China summit. KCTV-Yonhap
Vietnam's foreign ministry said Saturday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will pay an "official friendly visit" to the Southeast Asian country, where the second summit between him and U.S. President Donald Trump is to be held next week.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said through its social media page that Kim will pay an official friendly visit in the coming days. The second summit between Kim and Trump is slated for Feb. 27 and 28 in Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital.
The ministry, however, did not provide details of the visit, including the schedule.
Pundits said Vietnam apparently defined Kim's trip as an "official visit" rather than a notch higher "state visit," as it centers on the summit with Trump.
Kim is widely anticipated to arrive in Vietnam through the border train station of Dong Dang in Lang Son Province, Tuesday, via rail, and then to travel to Hanoi by car, which will take around two to three hours.
Sources said the Vietnamese authorities will ban travel by car on the road connecting Dong Dang to Hanoi that day.
North Korean officials also visited Dong Dang Station earlier this month. Central government officials are currently in charge of the station, citing routine maintenance. (Yonhap)