| A cyclist wearing a Vietnamese conical hat passes by a signboard about the second U.S.-North Korea summit scheduled for Feb. 27 and 28 in Hanoi, Friday. Yonhap |
By Yi Whan-woo
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may meet in Hanoi, Vietnam, for just one day on Feb. 28, according to U.S. and South Korean foreign ministry officials, Friday.
This is different from Trump's initial announcement earlier this month that his summit with Kim will last for two days from Feb. 27 to 28.
Meanwhile, some media reports said China has beefed up security in border areas near North Korea, speculating that Kim may travel to Vietnam via China using his exclusive train, instead of a plane.
Some officials said they are concerned that one day will not be sufficient for the two leaders to discuss a roadmap for denuclearization and urged them not to repeat the vague commitments produced in their first summit in Singapore last year.
Trump and Kim stayed in Singapore for three days from June 10 to 12, but met only once on June 12.
“The second Trump-Kim meeting is likely to take place for just one day on Feb. 28,” a Seoul ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
It speculated Trump and Kim may each meet President Nguyen Phu Trong and other top Vietnamese leaders separately on Feb. 27.
A U.S. government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, speculated the overall summit schedule in Hanoi may be similar to last year's in Singapore, although there may be scheduling changes.
In Singapore, Trump and Kim greeted each other after arriving separately at the summit venue ― Capella Singapore on Sentosa Island.
They then participated in a one-on-one meeting, followed by an expanded bilateral meeting, a working lunch and Trump's solo press meeting. The two returned home afterwards.
“It's possible an expanded bilateral meeting can take place before the working lunch in Hanoi,” another Seoul official said.
The U.S. and North Korea may take into account some of the startling images produced on Sentosa Island during live TV broadcast.
The images include the two leaders standing shoulder to shoulder as equals before arrays of U.S. and North Korean flags, sitting side by side to sign a joint statement and taking a brief stroll around Capella after lunch.
“The images were long unimaginable in Kim's isolated communist nation, but it certainly has left a strong impression on millions of TV viewers,” the third foreign ministry official said. “The Hanoi summit will be interesting to see because Washington and Pyongyang will try to come up with more impressive images.”
Meanwhile, some foreign ministry officials were open to the possibility that Trump and Kim will meet on Feb. 27 to join activities together on the sidelines of the summit.
They referred to Kim's “butler,” Kim Chang-son, visiting Hanoi Opera House this week and argued it may be related to possible preparations for a joint event involving Trump and Kim.
Meanwhile, over 3,500 international journalists have registered for the Hanoi summit, according to Russia's TAAS news agency. The figure is up from 2,500 in the first Trump-Kim summit.
The majority of the registered journalists come from South Korea, the U.S. and Japan.