Let's get an expert's take on Kim Jong-un's first-known trip outside North Korea since coming to power in 2011.
We are joined on the phone by North Korea expert Daniel Pinkston, lecturer in international relations with Troy University.
Thanks for joining us,... I'd like to start by asking about the significance of the timing of this trip. Why did Kim decide to go to Beijing now?

Do you think these surprise discussions between Kim Jong-un and Xi Jinping have made the rush to diplomacy on North Korea's nuclear and missile programs more complicated or have smoothed out the path for Kim's summits with Presidents Moon and Trump?

We still don't know the full extent of what Kim and President Xi talked about, but would you read this as a signal that North Korea is ready to enter genuine discussions on abandoning its nuclear weapons?

Before we let you go,... how much weight do you put on this being Kim's first trip outside of North Korea. Is this a sign that the international sanctions are working and Kim is frantically looking for a way to free the regime from its self-imposed economic isolation?

Thanks for your insights. Hopefully we'll learn more about what what discussed in the coming day. That was Daniel Pinkston, lecturer in international relations with Troy University with his thoughts on the announcement of Kim Jong-un's trip to Beijing.