Mr. Kim's train went straight to Vietnam without stopping in Beijing.
Yonhap news agency said that on February 25, the special train carrying North Korean President Kim Jong-un will go straight to Vietnam without stopping in Beijing.
A special train carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un passed through the northeastern Chinese port city of Tianjin on February 24 after leaving Pyongyang on February 23 to head to Hanoi to attend the US-North Korea summit with US President Donald Trump, Yonhap news agency reported on February 25.
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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un leaves Pyongyang by train to Hanoi, Vietnam to attend the second US-North Korea Summit on February 23. Photo: AP |
The train carrying Chairman Kim Jong-un left Pyongyang Railway Station at around 5 p.m. on February 23, passed through the Chinese city of Dandong at around 9:30 p.m. before arriving in Tianjin at 1 p.m. on February 24, a source in Beijing said.
Security at Tianjin station was tightened early in the morning with an increased police presence. As the train passed, areas around the station were tightly controlled with some roads restricted.
A day earlier, North Korea’s state news agency KCNA announced that Kim Jong-un had begun traveling to Hanoi to attend the summit with Trump on February 27 and 28. This was the first time North Korean state media had publicly announced an upcoming event.
"Senior officials of the Party, government and armed forces all wish Chairman Kim Jong-un great success in the second US-North Korea Summit and negotiations as well as his safe return."
Chairman Kim Jong-un’s train is expected to travel a distance of about 4,500 km in 60 hours and will arrive at Dong Dang, Lang Son. From there, Mr. Kim will likely travel to Hanoi by car.
Before the North Korean leader's departure, many people made different speculations about what kind of vehicle Kim Jong-un would use.
KCNA also said that Mr. Kim will pay an official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of President Nguyen Phu Trong.
North Korean media kept quiet about Kim's visit to Vietnam for weeks, despite Washington's announcement of the date and location of the summit. Pyongyang also typically keeps its leader's foreign visits secret for security reasons.
Mr. Kim used a chartered Chinese plane to fly to Singapore to attend the first US-North Korea Summit with President Trump in June 2018. He also arrived at the Summit venue 2 days before the event took place.
During the US-North Korea Summit in Singapore, Chairman Kim Jong-un and President Trump agreed to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula in exchange for security guarantees from the US.
This week, the two leaders are likely to focus on concrete steps to denuclearize North Korea and "corresponding" measures from Washington, possibly lifting sanctions and improving bilateral relations./.