Lee Min-hyung joined The Korea Times in 2014 and has worked as a journalist mainly in Korea’s finance, tech and automotive industry. He specializes in content creation, breaking news and in-depth analysis currently on transportation and mobility. You can reach him via mhlee@koreatimes.co.kr.
Despite 'no deal,' Kim will stay in Vietnam till March 2
Children from the Vietnam-North Korea Friendship Kindergarten in Hanoi wave flags, Tuesday, welcoming North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to the city for a two-day summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. / Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk
By Lee Min-hyung
Kim may hold another summit with Xi
By Lee Min-hyung
HANOI ― North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is likely to engage in a hectic diplomatic schedule in Vietnam and possibly in China after wrapping up his two-day summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, Thursday.
Kim's post-summit itinerary begins Friday with two extra days of an “official friendly” visit in the Vietnamese capital, according to the regime's state-controlled Korea Central News Agency (KCNA).
Other details regarding his return to Pyongyang have yet to be released, with speculation surfacing over the possibility that he may hold another summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping on his way home.
The possibility was raised, as there is ample chance for this as he returns to Pyongyang by train. On Tuesday, Kim traversed China on board a heavily armored train to the border with Vietnam. The train is getting maintenance service in Nanning, China, located close to the border.
Diplomatic relations between China and North Korea also add to the likelihood of Kim visiting Beijing or somewhere else in China for a summit with Xi. Beijing-Pyongyang ties have been rapidly improving, with their leaders holding four summits since last March.
“There is high probability that Kim will hold a summit with Xi on his return trip, as his train passes through China,” a diplomatic source said. “Even if relations between Washington and Beijing are not in good shape, Kim will meet with Xi en route to Pyongyang and discuss future strategies by sharing the outcome of the meeting with Trump.”
Kim has sought to take advantage of China's diplomatic power in his ongoing negotiations with the U.S. on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Only a week after the first Trump-Kim summit last June, the North Korean leader and first lady Ri Sol-ju met with their Chinese counterparts in Beijing to share details with Xi about the results of the historic summit in Singapore.
This year also marks the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Beijing and Pyongyang. But it remains to be seen whether a Kim-Xi summit will take place, as Kim's travel itinerary is still shrouded in mystery.
It came as a surprise that Kim made his way by train, rather than an airplane which many experts predicted would be his means of transportation for the recent summit with Trump.
On his stay in Hanoi, Kim is highly likely to meet with Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong for a summit, as Kim's grandfather Kim Il-sung, the founder of the regime, did in 1958 and 1964 with then-Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh.
Aside from the diplomatic schedule, Kim is also expected to travel to the northern industry city of Haiphong for a field inspection. The visit reflects Kim's strong willingness to develop the regime's dire economic conditions and attract more foreign investment by seeking to get sanctions relief from the international society.
A group of North Korean ranking officials, including Ri Su-yong, a top figure in charge of North Korea's foreign affairs, inspected the area on Wednesday, in what is seen as a signal that Kim may also travel to the site sometime during his stay in Vietnam.
Chances are that Kim may also make his way to the Vietnam-North Korea Friendship Kindergarten in Hanoi. The North established the education facility in 1978, and Kim can possibly show off his country's diplomatic ties with Vietnam by making a trip there.