Where will Trump meet Kim Jong-un?

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump. Photo: AP

According toDaily MailMongolia is currently among the few countries within easy travel distance for Kim Jong-un, and is also neutral territory for both the US and North Korean leaders.

NewspaperNew York TimesIt is estimated that the North Korean leader will likely only travel within a radius of nearly 3,220km. The reason is that his Soviet-era aircraft may not be able to fly further without stopping to refuel.

Kim Jong-un's plane was manufactured during the Soviet era. Photo: Daily Mail

Kim Jong-un’s plane is an IL-62, designed to fly as far as 10,000km. However, experts are not yet sure whether the aging aircraft can actually fly that far, safely.

A photo of Mr. Kim Jong-un in his private plane. Photo: KCNA

Dean Cheng, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center, pointed out that North Korea also possesses two Tupolev Tu-204s with a range of more than 5,700km. The Tu-204 is a model that was produced to compete with and has many similarities to a Boeing 757.

According to researcher Cheng, the location chosen for the US-North Korea summit ultimately depends on the concerns in Kim Jong-un's mind. However, he believes that it is definitely not Pyongyang.

Some analysts say that given the tensions surrounding the North Korean leader's overseas trip, Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, could be an ideal location for the upcoming "historic" event. Ulaanbaatar has been chosen as the venue for talks between Japanese and North Korean officials more than once before.

In a message posted on Twitter in March, former Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj invited Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim to Ulaanbaatar.

Kim Jong-un's only trip outside the Korean peninsula since becoming Pyongyang's supreme leader in 2011 was a trip to Beijing in March. He traveled to China by train, another preferred mode of transport.

Some experts believe Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, is a suitable location for the upcoming US-North Korea summit. Photo: Daily Mail

In November 2017, the US President arrived in Beijing to a grand reception. During his stay in the capital, he was given a red carpet welcome at both the airport and at an event the following day at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

However, according to observers, Beijing is not a suitable choice for Mr. Trump at this time, in terms of politics. He will face a lot of pressure if he goes there to negotiate with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The US and China are currently mired in trade conflicts, causing many to worry about the risk of a full-blown trade war between the world's two leading economies.

During a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Florida last week, Mr. Trump revealed a few details about the location of the meeting with the North Korean leader. According to Mr. Trump, Washington is considering five locations, all of which are outside the United States.

Many say Pyongyang is not on the list of options. However, the truce village of Panmunjom in the DMZ that divides the Korean Peninsula could be an option being considered. This is expected to be the venue for the summit between Kim Jong-un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on April 27.

Experts say that if Kim Jong-un is able to leave Asia, the US and North Korea could choose one of four European cities, including Geneva, Switzerland, where the 1958 meeting between Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and then-US President Ronald Reagan took place and where Kim studied as a young man; and Stockholm, Sweden, whose government has directly offered to support talks with Pyongyang and which North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho visited in March.

The remaining two European cities could be in Finland and Norway.

Choe Kang Il, a North Korean foreign ministry official, visited Helsinki, Finland, in March. Meanwhile, Oslo, Norway, was where US and North Korean leaders met in May 2017 to discuss the release of American student Otto Warmbier, who had been detained by Pyongyang.

Researcher Cheng noted that the North Korean leader is "very unpredictable". Therefore, it is unclear which of the above options Kim Jong-un sees as suitable for the historic meeting with Mr. Trump, expected to take place in late May or early June.