Private plane takes North Korean leader out of Pyongyang
(Baonghean.vn) - On June 10, Reuters quoted a source from South Korea's Yonhap news agency as saying that a private plane carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un took off from Pyongyang to Singapore.
| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Photo: Reuters |
Yonhap revealed that the decades-old Il-62 plane carrying the young leader of North Korea left the country's capital on the morning of June 11, and will land at Singapore's Changi Airport in the afternoon.
Earlier, a direct flight from Pyongyang also landed in Singapore on June 9, raising speculation that a delegation of North Korean officials had joined the preparatory team led by Kim's close aide Kim Chang-son, who was in Singapore to prepare for the talks.
Another transport plane that accompanied Kim Jong-un during his visit to China has left Pyongyang and is likely to fly to Singapore on June 10, ahead of Kim's summit with US President Donald Trump, the source said.
According to the plan announced by Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement, leader Kim Jong-un will meet Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the late afternoon of June 10.
Reuters also reported that US President Donald Trump is also expected to arrive in Singapore on the same day to attend a historic summit with the North Korean leader on the issue of the country's nuclear weapons.
The US delegation is expected to depart from the G7 summit in Canada and arrive in Singapore at 8:35 p.m. Sunday before moving to the Shangri-la Hotel. Trump is scheduled to meet with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong tomorrow (June 11).
Officials on board Air Force One of the US President also included Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, National Security Advisor John Bolton, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.
The summit, scheduled for June 12, comes after weeks of tense discussions that were seemingly disrupted when North Korea expressed anger at remarks from some US advisers.
Many remain skeptical that Kim Jong-un will ever completely abandon his nuclear program, believing instead that his latest engagement is aimed at getting the US to ease the economic sanctions that have strangled North Korea.
For Trump, the success of this summit will mean helping him gain the necessary reputation on the international stage, ahead of the November congressional elections.
