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WORLD NEWS Monday 25 February 2019
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un

boards train to summit

By DAKE KANG mize any concessions on Committee in Lang Son
DANDONG, China (AP) — his nuclear facilities and province, where the Dong
North Korea leader Kim weapons. Dang railway station is lo-
Jong Un was on a train Sun- While Kim wants to lever- cated, issued a statement
day to Vietnam for his sec- age his nuclear and mis- Friday instructing the road
ond summit with President sile program for economic operator to clean the high-
Donald Trump, state media and security benefits, there way stretch and suspend In this Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019, photo provided on Sunday, Feb.
24, 2019, by the North Korean government, North Korean leader
confirmed. continue to be doubts on road works, among other Kim Jong Un waves from a train before leaving Pyongyang Sta-
Kim was accompanied by whether he's ready to fully things, on Feb. 24-28 as "a tion, North Korea, for Vietnam.
Kim Yong Chol, who has deal away an arsenal that political task."q Associated Press
been a key negotiator in he may see as his strongest
talks with the U.S., and Kim guarantee of survival.
Yo Jong, the leader's sister, Last year, North Korea sus-
the North's official Korean pended its nuclear and
Central News Agency re- long-range missile tests and
ported. TV footage and unilaterally dismantled its
photos distributed by the nuclear testing ground and
North's state-run news parts of a rocket launch fa-
agency showed Kim in- cility without the presence
specting a guard of honor of outside experts, but
at the Pyongyang station none of those steps were
before waving from the seen as meaningful cut-
train. backs to the North's weap-
Late Saturday, an Associ- ons capability.
ated Press reporter saw While North Korea has re-
a green-and-yellow train peatedly demanded that
similar to one used in the the United States take cor-
past by Kim cross into the responding measures, in-
Chinese border city of Dan- cluding sanctions relief,
dong via a bridge. Washington has called for
The Trump-Kim meeting is more concrete steps from
slated for Wednesday and Pyongyang toward denu-
Thursday in Hanoi. clearization.
Their first summit last June in Hanoi has been gearing up
Singapore ended without for the summit with beefed-
substantive agreements on up security. Officials say the
the North's nuclear disar- colonial-era Government
mament and triggered a Guest House in central Ha-
months-long stalemate in noi is expected to be the
negotiations as Washing- venue for the Trump-Kim
ton and Pyongyang strug- meeting, with the nearby
gled with the sequencing Metropole Hotel as a back-
of North Korea's nuclear up. Streets around the two
disarmament and the re- places have been beauti-
moval of U.S.-led sanctions fied with flowers and the
against the North. flags of North Korea, the U.S
Kim's overseas travel plans and Vietnam.
are routinely kept secret. It Workers were also putting
could take more than two final touches on the Inter-
days for the train to travel national Media Center.
thousands of kilometers Vietnam's Foreign Ministry
(miles) through China to says some 2,600 members
Vietnam. of the foreign press have
Vietnam's Foreign Ministry registered for the event.
announced Saturday that Also expected to land in
Kim would pay an official Vietnam on Sunday was
goodwill visit to the coun- Russian Foreign Minister Ser-
try "in the coming days" in gei Lavrov. Russian Foreign
response to an invitation Ministry spokeswoman Ma-
by President Nguyen Phu ria Zakharova said that Lav-
Trong, who is also the gen- rov will pay an official visit
eral secretary of Vietnam's ahead of a Russia-India-
ruling Communist Party. China ministerial confer-
In his upcoming meeting ence in China, according
with Trump, experts say Kim to Interfax news agency.
will seek a U.S. commitment Meanwhile, Vietnam has
for improved bilateral rela- announced a traffic ban
tions and partial sanctions along Kim's possible ar-
relief while trying to mini- rival route. The People's