It looks like North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will be heading to Vietnam a couple of days ahead of his summit there with President Trump.
He's reportedly going to go as a state guest to meet with the Vietnamese president and tour some important sites related to the country's economy.
And now, with working-level officials from North Korea and the U.S. in Hanoi, preparations are expected to pick up speed this week.
Oh Jung-hee has the latest.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un might go to Vietnam a couple of days early for a state visit... ahead of his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.
That's according to Reuters on Saturday... which cited sources familiar with the developments.
Kim is scheduled to meet with Trump from February 27th to 28th.
And these sources told Reuters... that Kim Jong-un is to arrive in Hanoi on the 25th to meet with local government officials and attend a summit with the Vietnamese president.
The North Korean leader will also take a brief tour around the country -- visiting the manufacturing base of Bac Ninh and the industrial port town of Hai Phong.
With less than two weeks left until the summit, Vietnam is tightening security around key facilities in Hanoi... as more North Korean and American officials start arriving for working-level preparations.
First of all, officials in charge of protocol will coordinate on the summit's logistics.
Arriving in Hanoi on Saturday... were Kim Jong-un's close aide... and the director of North Korea's State Affairs Commission, Kim Chang-son,... and his U.S. counterpart, Daniel Walsh, who's the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations.
Meanwhile, the two sides' nuclear negotiators are also believed to be meeting in Hanoi this week... to work on the summit agreement.
They will be Kim Hyok-chol, North Korea's Special Representative for U.S. Affairs,... and Stephen Biegun, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea.
They sat down for three days earlier this month in Pyeongyang to openly talk about their stances.
Biegun told South Korean lawmakers afterwards... that the two sides will start drafting the agreement at their next meeting.
The document is believed to center around North Korea's dismantling of the Yeongbyeon nuclear facilities and their verification... and rewards in return from the U.S.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
