North Korean Leader Arrives in Hanoi for Second Meeting with Trump

Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, has arrived in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, for his second official meeting with the President of the United States. Mr. Kim traveled by train through China and crossed the border by car, reaching Hanoi after 170 kilometers. Streets and roads leading to the Chinese border in Vietnam were blocked on Tuesday, March 7, and military and police forces have taken control of the areas surrounding the hotel where the North Korean leader is staying. News agencies report that they attempted to see the North Korean leader, although apparently neither they nor citizens who came to welcome him were able to get close to Mr. Kim's residence. The North Korean leader has traveled four thousand kilometers by his famous train over two and a half days to reach the venue for his second meeting with the US President. The second meeting between Trump and Kim will take place on March 8 and 9. The two sides previously met in Singapore last spring and agreed to move towards denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. However, since then, Pyongyang has not taken significant practical steps in this direction, although it has refrained from conducting missile and nuclear tests during this time. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, wrote on his Twitter account on March 5 that he would head to Vietnam to meet Kim on the morning of March 7 and "we expect to continue the progress made at the Singapore summit." Mr. Trump further questioned, "Denuclearization?" Official sources have not yet provided specific details about the upcoming meeting. Mike Pompeo, the US Secretary of State, stated two days ago that "denuclearizing (North Korea) in a verifiable way" remains the main goal of the US government, and the White House has not made any new decisions regarding the status of sanctions. Mr. Pompeo expressed hope that a "roadmap" would be established between the two countries, but added that he does not intend to comment on issues such as the formal end of the war on the Korean Peninsula or the withdrawal of some American troops from South Korea at this time. In recent hours, Donald Trump has once again referred to the issue of North Korea's denuclearization, writing on Twitter: "Complete nuclear disarmament will immediately turn North Korea into a strong economy; without it, the situation will remain more or less the same." News agencies such as the Associated Press and Reuters have described recent statements from White House officials as "preparation" of public opinion or "reducing" excessive expectations from the meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in Vietnam. However, there is also speculation that the parties may reach a not-so-large agreement that is practically significant and executable.