North Korea's Kim Jong Un has reportedly arrived in China ahead of his planned summit with United States President Donald Trump. According to local media reports, the North Korean leader arrived via train at the Chinese border city of Dangdong over the weekend. Kim's entire travel itinerary is currently unknown and the North Korean government has been very secretive about his schedule for their leader's security.
An advanced team of North Korean personnel has reportedly already arrived in Vietnam to prepare for their leader's arrival. The second round of talks for Kim Jong Un and Trump is scheduled to take place this week, on February 27 and 28. The Vietnamese government has already officially announced that Kim would be arriving in their country in the coming days.
Vietnam has also already warned the public that it will be closing a 170-kilometer stretch of road, which will be used by the Korean leader upon his arrival. The second round of talks will mostly center on North Korea's denuclearization and the United States possible assistance in the easement of economic sanctions on the country.
Prior to the North Korean train's arrival in China, military and police personnel were reportedly seen securing the area around the Dangdong train station. The entire riverfront, including the bridge where the train would pass, was blocked off to the public. Guests at a hotel facing the bridge were also asked to leave, with staff claiming that they had to do last-minute renovations.
According to local reports, Kim had arrived on a train that was similar to the one he had used to travel to the Chinese capital in the past. The olive-green-colored train with yellow stripes reportedly had all of its windows blacked out and was traveling relatively slower than normal passenger trains. Similar to his father and grandfather, Kim prefers to travel via train when visiting other countries.
Theoretically, Kim could arrive in Hanoi, Vietnam much faster if he were to catch a plan in Beijing. However, if he does continue to travel by train, the nearly 4,000-kilometer journey would take him approximately 60 hours.
Kim's train would have to travel all the way down to southern China and head to the Guangxi province before arriving in Vietnam. Security experts believe that securing that journey would be a logistical nightmare given the length and distance that is being covered. Personnel would have to clear the entire length of the journey, which covers almost the entire Chinese eastern seaboard. China is reportedly willing to assist in Kim's travel plans as it also wants to ensure the country's denuclearization.
