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| In this Jan. 9 photo provided on Jan. 10 by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center left, bids farewell to Chinese Communist Party's International Department head Song Tao, center right, at a station in the Chinese border town of Dandong. Vietnam is reportedly preparing to greet Kim. Korea News Service via AP |
Vietnam is preparing to greet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Reuters reported Friday amid talk of a possible summit between him and President Donald Trump there in the coming weeks or months.
Quoting a source familiar with the matter, the news outlet said Kim will travel to Vietnam for a state visit "after the Feb. 4-8 lunar new year" holiday. Another source confirmed Kim's trip but did not give any dates.
The sources stopped short of clarifying if Kim's trip would be related to his much-anticipated summit with Trump. Vietnam's foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Recent media reports have said that both Hanoi and the central Vietnamese city of Danang could be possible summit locations. The Thai capital of Bangkok has also been mentioned as a candidate site.
Trump said on Jan. 6 that the summit location will be announced probably in the "not too distant future."
Kim Yong-chol, one of the closest aides to the North's leader, arrived in Washington on Thursday, apparently for talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to coordinate details of the summit between the two sides. (Yonhap)
