N. Korean leader on a surprise city tour on first day of Hanoi trip
- 5 years ago
김정은, 하노이 방문 첫 일정으로 북한 대사관 방문
Kim Jong-un arrived in Vietnam today,... after a long train ride all the way from North Korea.
It's the first visit to the country by a leader of the regime in over half-a-century.
Once again we start things off by connecting to our reporters standing by in the host city.
Our Park Hee-jun is at the Melia Hotel where Kim is staying.
Hee-jun, what has he been up to on his first day?
It looks like the North Korean leader has gone for a surprise outing tonight after all.
Right now he's at the North Korean embassy... having left the hotel just about an hour ago.
More than a dozen vehicles carrying the North Korean delegation departed with a security escort.
Kim left in the same black Mercedes he took from Dong Dang Station to Melia Hotel.
The road he took to get to the embassy... was of course heavily guarded.
He was seen entering the embassy with his top nuclear envoy Kim Yong-chol, his younger sister Kim Yo-jong... and his protocol chief Kim Chang-son.
It's starting to look quite similar to his schedule back in Singapore.
When he was there for his first face-to-face with President Trump,... he went to some key tourist spots in the country ahead of the summit.
If you remember, he even took a selfie at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel,... which was quite a surprise.
Maybe we'll be able to get another selfie out of him in Vietnam.
The North Korean embassy is only one-and-a-half kilometer away from the Melia Hotel.
While he's out he could also stop by some other places in Hanoi.
Lotte Center, for instance,... is an important landmark of South Korea's economic influence in Vietnam.
He is after all, well known for his interest in seeking economic reforms for North Korea,... with the Vietnam model being one of the options.
Another place he might go is the Presidential Palace... because the Vietnamese President is back from a trip to other nearby countries.
When Kim was on his way to the Melia hotel earlier today... it was thought he might stop by some other key sites in Vietnam... like Ha Long Bay, a popular tourist destination,... and industrial sites in Hai Phong or Bac Ninh Province.
He might still do that while he's in the country.
He could also visit a cemetery some 60 kilometers outside Hanoi where 14 North Koreans who died fighting in the Vietnam War... are buried.
That'll be easier to do thanks to the Vietnamese government clearing traffic for him.
Starting this evening, the Vietnamese government is restricting vehicles from using certain parts of Hanoi.
They will also be applied tomorrow,... from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon.
And that adds speculation that Kim could make another surprise trip.
That's all I have at this hour.
Kim Jong-un arrived in Vietnam today,... after a long train ride all the way from North Korea.
It's the first visit to the country by a leader of the regime in over half-a-century.
Once again we start things off by connecting to our reporters standing by in the host city.
Our Park Hee-jun is at the Melia Hotel where Kim is staying.
Hee-jun, what has he been up to on his first day?
It looks like the North Korean leader has gone for a surprise outing tonight after all.
Right now he's at the North Korean embassy... having left the hotel just about an hour ago.
More than a dozen vehicles carrying the North Korean delegation departed with a security escort.
Kim left in the same black Mercedes he took from Dong Dang Station to Melia Hotel.
The road he took to get to the embassy... was of course heavily guarded.
He was seen entering the embassy with his top nuclear envoy Kim Yong-chol, his younger sister Kim Yo-jong... and his protocol chief Kim Chang-son.
It's starting to look quite similar to his schedule back in Singapore.
When he was there for his first face-to-face with President Trump,... he went to some key tourist spots in the country ahead of the summit.
If you remember, he even took a selfie at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel,... which was quite a surprise.
Maybe we'll be able to get another selfie out of him in Vietnam.
The North Korean embassy is only one-and-a-half kilometer away from the Melia Hotel.
While he's out he could also stop by some other places in Hanoi.
Lotte Center, for instance,... is an important landmark of South Korea's economic influence in Vietnam.
He is after all, well known for his interest in seeking economic reforms for North Korea,... with the Vietnam model being one of the options.
Another place he might go is the Presidential Palace... because the Vietnamese President is back from a trip to other nearby countries.
When Kim was on his way to the Melia hotel earlier today... it was thought he might stop by some other key sites in Vietnam... like Ha Long Bay, a popular tourist destination,... and industrial sites in Hai Phong or Bac Ninh Province.
He might still do that while he's in the country.
He could also visit a cemetery some 60 kilometers outside Hanoi where 14 North Koreans who died fighting in the Vietnam War... are buried.
That'll be easier to do thanks to the Vietnamese government clearing traffic for him.
Starting this evening, the Vietnamese government is restricting vehicles from using certain parts of Hanoi.
They will also be applied tomorrow,... from nine in the morning to three in the afternoon.
And that adds speculation that Kim could make another surprise trip.
That's all I have at this hour.