Summit venue raises chance for Kim Jong

The Vietnamese national flag flutters in the wind at the Ho Chih Minh mausoleum in Hanoi, Feb. 9. US President Donald Trump announced Feb. 8 that his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will take place in the Vietnamese capital on Feb. 27 and 28. AFP-Yonhap

The choice of Vietnam's capital as the venue for a second North Korea-U.S. summit has raised the possibility that Kim Jong-un will make a state visit there later this month, observers said Saturday.

If Kim does, he will be the first North Korean leader to land in Vietnam in 54 years. Kim Il-sung, North Korea's founding leader and his grandfather, held summits with then-Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh in November 1958 and October 1964.

President Donald Trump confirmed Saturday (KST) that he will meet Kim in Hanoi on Feb. 27 and 28.

This will make it convenient for Kim to hold meetings with top Vietnamese leaders, as it would be relatively easy for North Korean embassy officials there to prepare for a state visit. That is apparently one reason Kim preferred Hanoi to the central seaside city of Da Nang as a summit location. Trump reportedly favored Da Nang but made a concession.

Hanoi selected as venue for 2nd US-North Korea summit: Trump 2019-02-09 17:01  |  North Korea

In this Feb. 8, photo provided by the North Korean government, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un gives a speech at the Ministry of the People's Armed Forces in Pyongyang to mark the 71st anniversary of the founding of the Korean People's Army. AP-Yonhap

If Kim meets Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong, pundits wonder whether the North Korean leader will ask about Vietnam's economic system. Politically, Vietnam remains communist, but its economic system is open to capitalism.

The possible state visit could also strengthen ties between the two countries that have a difficult history.

North Korea and Vietnam established diplomatic ties in January 1950. The two nations became close when North Korea sent troops and war supplies to Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

But their relationship derailed when North Korea condemned Vietnam for invading Cambodia in December 1978 and withdrew its ambassador from the country. The two sides decided to send ambassadors to each other in 1984, but their relationship became cold again when Vietnam established diplomatic ties with South Korea in 1992. (Yonhap)

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