DPRK confirms Kim Jong Un on train to Vietnam

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02:28

Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) state media confirmed on Sunday that the country's leader Kim Jong Un is on a train to Vietnam for his second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Kim was accompanied by Kim Yong Chol, who has been a key negotiator in talks with the U.S., and Kim Yo Jong, the leader's sister, the Korean Central News Agency reported.

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un reviews a guard of honor before he departs for a summit in Hanoi with U.S. President Donald Trump, in Pyongyang, DPRK, February 23, 2019. /KCNA Photo

The summit, scheduled for February 27 and 28 in the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, will be Kim's second face-to-face meeting with Trump following their first meeting in Singapore last June.

Kim's train crossed into Dandong, northeast China late on Saturday.

The border town geared up with heavy security deployed at the bridge connecting the two countries. Residents and visitors have been evacuated from the riverside park, while hotels have halted reservations with a view of the river since Friday.

It is estimated to take more than two days to travel the thousands of kilometers from the DPRK capital of Pyongyang to Vietnam, with most of the route southward going through China.

China's role in the DPRK issue

In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping held his fourth meeting with Kim and reiterated China's support in the DPRK's denuclearization efforts.

Xi stressed that China will continue to support the improvement of inter-Korean relations, the DPRK and the United States holding summits and relevant parties resolving their respective legitimate concerns through dialogue.

Decoding Kim Jong Un's fourth China visit

Kim said that the two sides will make efforts to achieve results that will be welcomed by the international community at the second summit between the DPRK and the U.S.

Chinese President Xi Jinping holds talks with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in Beijing, China, January 8, 2019. /Xinhua Photo

China and the DPRK have agreed to work together to improve the peace and stability in the region, after a meeting between foreign ministers of the two countries last year.

During his visit to Beijing in December, DPRK's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and China's State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi acknowledged the positive progress made by both sides in 2018, confirming the DPRK's willingness to accelerate the development of bilateral ties.

Wang Yi expressed China's hope for the DPRK and the U.S. to maintain dialogue and address each other's concerns, in order to realize the goals set in the DPRK-U.S. joint statement.

There have been four meetings between President Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un since 2018, with many key consensuses reached between the two parties on the peace process on the Korean Peninsula.

(CGTN's Feng Yilei also contributed to the story.)

(Cover: DPRK leader Kim Jong Un waves from a train as he departs for a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, in Pyongyang, DPRK, February 23, 2019. /KCNA Photo)