02/25/2019, 09.48
KOREA-USA
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Kim Jong-un train heads south. Hanoi: everything is ready for the second summit with Trump

The North Korean leader is expected in the Vietnamese capital for tomorrow. Unknown route of the convoy. About 3,000 journalists from over 200 agencies in 40 countries will cover the summit. On the agenda: denuclearization and economic development. South Korean President Moon: "Let's get ready for a New Korean Peninsula System".

Seoul (AsiaNews / Agencies) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived at the Chinese city of Changsha (Hunan) this morning on board a special train. The convoy will continue south to Hanoi (Vietnam), where on February 27 and 28 Kim will hold a second summit with the president of the United States, Donald J. Trump.

The Vietnamese government declares itself ready to host the historic event, despite the little time for preparation. South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who in recent months has successfully held the role of mediator between the North and the US, promises efforts for the resumption of inter-Korean economic cooperation: Seoul is willing to take on a leadership role in the development of Pyongyang.

According to Korean sources, Kim's train arrived in Changsha after having stopped at the city of Wuhan (Hubei). The convoy route is not known, but observers claim that the North Korean delegation will continue its journey to Nanning (Guangxi) and Pingxiang (Jiangxi), a city along the border with northern Vietnam. It is expected that Kim's train will cross the border into the city of Dong Dang, in northern Vietnam. From there, the leader of North Korea will most likely travel by car to Hanoi, where he is expected for tomorrow.

"Everything is ready" in the Vietnamese capital: the Deputy Foreign Minister, Le Hoai Trung affirms this, underlining the efficiency with which the country has set up the Trump-Kim meeting. The senior official declares that Vietnam "is honored" to host the historic event, perceived as an opportunity to gain international recognition for what the country has done on the world stage. The Ministry of Information and Communications reports that about 3,000 journalists from over 200 agencies from 40 countries will cover the summit.

At the first summit with Trump, last June, Kim rented a Chinese plane to travel to Singapore. During the summit, the leader agreed to carry out the complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, in exchange for security guarantees from Trump.

Analysts had expected the two now to focus on concrete actions for denuclearization by the North and corresponding measures by Washington, including the possible easing of sanctions and improving bilateral relations.

The South Korea president has welcomed the second meeting between the two leaders. [They] have come this far after walking the path that no one else walked before," Moon noted. "Should President Trump succeed in dismantling the last remaining Cold War regime on earth, it would be another great achievement that will clearly go down in the history of the world."

“We will actively prepare for the New Korean Peninsula System that will move from war and confrontation to peace and coexistence, from division and ideology to economy and prosperity, while standing not in the periphery but at the center of history," he concluded.

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