Feb. 23 (UPI) — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un departed by train en route to his second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam on Wednesday and Thursday, Pyongyang’s state media reported Sunday.
Kim left Pyongyang Railway Station on Saturday afternoon, the Korean Central News Agency reported.
He was accompanied by senior officials, including his sister Kim Yo-jong and top aide Kim Yong-chol. Kim’s wife, Ri Sol-ju, wasn’t on the list of those accompanying the leader.
It was the first time that North Korean state media reported on Kim’s second summit with Trump, Yonhap News Agency in South Korea reported.
Russia’s Tass news agency reported from Pyongyang that he departed for Hanoi at around 5 p.m. Saturday.
A train believed to be carrying Kim was seen crossing the Dandong Yalu Friendship Bridge on the North Korea-China border at 9:20 p.m., KN News reported.
Chinese security personnel blocked road access.
The rail route is 2,800 miles and could take 60 hours by averaging 47 mph.
After reaching Vietnamese border city of Dang Dong in Lang Song province on Tuesday, Kim Kim reportedly will travel to Hanoi by car.
The Vietnamese foreign ministry announced on Saturday that Kim would “pay an official visit in the coming days” to its nation.
Last June, Kim used a Chinese plane to travel to Singapore for his first summit with Trump.
Details of Trump’s schedule, including when he will depart from the White House, are unclear, according to senior administration officials briefed reporters about the trip on Thursday morning.
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