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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un takes a photo with his delegation and family at the North Korean Embassy in Hanoi on Feb. 26. (Yonhap News)
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Potential summit with Xi Jinping still undecided
North Korea’s state-run newspaper the Rodong Sinmun reported on the front page of its Feb. 27 edition that Kim Jong-un would be paying an official friendly visit to Vietnam on Mar. 1-2, immediately after the second North Korea-US summit. When the newspaper announced that Kim was departing Pyongyang on Feb. 24, it only mentioned the fact that he was making an official friendly visit without disclosing the schedule. There has been speculation about the possibility of Kim meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping or other members of China’s leadership on his return trip to Pyongyang, after wrapping up his second summit with the US (Feb. 27-28) and his official friendly visit to Vietnam. The timing of his trip presents some complications, however, since Xi and other Chinese leadership have to attend the Lianghui, or two meetings, of the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, which will kick off on Mar. 3. Considering the Chinese custom of not scheduling meetings with foreign dignitaries during the Lianghui, a North Korea-China summit, should it take place, would itself be revolutionary. During a visit to Beijing on Jan. 7-10, Kim held his fourth summit with Xi Jinping. By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
