Kim and Trump kick off Hanoi summit with one-one-one meeting and dinner

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrives at Dang Dong railway station in Vietnam’s Lang Son Province on Feb. 26 before heading straight to Hanoi by car for his second summit with US President Donald Trump. (Reuters/Yonhap News)

Dinner to be followed by main summit the next day

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump kicked off their two-day second summit with a dinner in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Feb. 27. In contrast with their first summit in Singapore in June 2018, which was a single-day affair, they’re likely to meet at least five times during the two-day affair. Considering that Kim and Trump have taken a top-down approach to pushing forward the talks, the whole world is watching to see whether they can forge a sweeping deal on denuclearization and a peace regime through their extensive contact in Hanoi.

White House Spokesperson Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Air Force One during the flight to Hanoi on Feb. 26 that Kim and Trump are planning to have a social dinner following a brief one-on-one meeting at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel on Feb. 27 at 6:30 pm.

At the dinner, Trump was accompanied by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Mick Mulvaney, White House acting chief of staff, while Kim was joined by Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and director of the WPK United Front Department, and one other person, the White House announced. The other guest was likely Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un’s younger sister and the first vice director of the WPK Central Committee.

U.S President Donald Trump arrives at Noi Bai Airport before a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019, in Hanoi. (AP)

Kim and Trump will also be meeting several times on the next day, Feb. 28. A senior US official announced during a briefing on Feb. 21 that the two leaders’ meetings would include a one-on-one summit, a meal and an expanded summit. If the signing ceremony for a joint statement is included, the two leaders will be meeting at least five times during the summit’s two days.

During their Singapore summit on June 12 of last year, Kim and Trump spent a total of 4 hours and 45 minutes together on that single day, including a one-on-one summit, an expanded summit, a work luncheon, a walk and the signing of a joint statement. The work luncheon was attended by six or seven people from both sides.

But since the second summit includes Kim and Trump’s first dinner together, they will be spending more time together, and their contact will be more intense. Minimizing the number of people at the dinner is apparently intended to symbolize the two leaders’ camaraderie and to maximize the results by providing more in-depth dialogue.

“In contrast with normal summits, in which the leaders meet after the text of the joint statement has been drawn up, the distinctive thing about this summit is that the two countries will make their decision on the spot during the leaders’ meeting. The dinner on Feb. 27 will play an exploratory role prior to the main summit on Feb. 28,” said Kim Joon-hyung, professor at Handong Global University.

“Reaching an agreement about formally declaring the end of the Korean War and establishing liaison offices in the two countries would appear to be possible. I think we won’t know until the very end what North Korea will do with its Yongbyon nuclear facilities and what incentives the US will offer,” said Joseph Yun, the US State Department’s former special representative for North Korea policy.

Kim departed from Pyongyang on his private train on the afternoon of Feb. 23 and spent three days passing through China. After reaching Dong Dang railway station in Vietnam’s Lang Son Province on the morning of Feb. 26, he transferred to an automobile and was driven to the Melia Hanoi hotel, where he’s staying, arriving at 11 am.

Trump landed at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport at 9 pm on Feb. 26 and settled into his accommodations at the JW Marriott Hotel. While aboard Air Force One en route to Hanoi, Trump tweeted that he was “looking forward to a very productive summit.” Trump is scheduled to meet Vietnamese Presiden Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Feb. 27.

By Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent, and Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter

Please direct comments or questions to [[e-mail]]