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2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit

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For the 2018 Trump-Kim summit, see 2018 North Korea–United States Singapore Summit.
2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit Vietnam
Hanoi Summit/ DPRK–USA Hanoi Summit Vietnam
Host country Vietnam
DateFebruary 27–28, 2019
Venue(s)Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Hanoi
ParticipantsNorth Korea Kim Jong-un
United States Donald Trump
Websitedprk-usasummit2019.mofa.gov.vn
2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit
Korean name
Hangul조미 2차 수뇌상봉
Hanja朝美 二次 首腦相逢
Transcriptions
Revised RomanizationJomi icha sunoesangbong
McCune–ReischauerChomi ich'a sunoesangbong
Alternative Korean name
Hangul북미 2차 정상회담
Hanja北美 二次 頂上會談
Transcriptions
Revised RomanizationBungmi icha jeongsanghoedam
McCune–ReischauerPungmi ich'a chŏngsanghoedam
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The 2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit Vietnam, officially the DPRK–USA Hanoi Summit Vietnam, or commonly known as Hanoi Summit, will be a two-day summit meeting between North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, held at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam, on February 27–28, 2019. This will be the second meeting between leaders of the North Korea and United States, following the first meeting in 2018.

Background

Main article: 2018–19 Korean peace process

The first North Korea–United States summit was initiated in 2018 in order to overcome the long-term Korean conflict with ICBM nuclear weapons and denuclearize the Korean peninsula. A series of bilateral summits were held between North Korea's Kim Jong-un, China's Xi Jinping, South Korea's Moon Jae-in, and Donald Trump of the United States.

Announcement

The White House gave confirmation of the planned meeting between North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump on September 11, 2018. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo states the DPRK and U.S. are ‘working diligently’ to make sure the conditions are right for the summit.[1][2]

Trump announced the host country (Vietnam) and the dates (February 27–28) during his second State of the Union Address on February 5, 2019.[3]

On February 8, 2019, President Trump announced that Hanoi, Vietnam, would host the summit meeting.[4]

Vietnam's reactions and preparations

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh visited North Korea at the invitation of DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho from February 12 to 14. The visit came ahead of the summit between WPK Chairman Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump planned to take place in Hà Nội, Vietnam, on February 27 and 28, a spokeswoman from the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry said in a statement posted on Twitter.

In reply to a question for Vietnam’s comment on Trump’s remarks in his latest State of the Union address on the upcoming summit, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lê Thị Thu Hằng said Vietnam welcomed the second US-DPRK summit and strongly supported dialogue to maintain peace, security and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

Vietnam stood ready to actively contribute to and co-operate with both sides to ensure the success of the second DPRK-USA summit, helping to achieve the above-mentioned goal, the official said.[5]

Developments since June 2018 summit

File:Sept. 2018 Inter-Korea Summit 01.jpg
Moon Jae-in is arriving at the Pyongyang International Airport for the third inter-Korean summit
File:Sept. 2018 Inter-Korea Summit 07.jpg
Moon and Kim with the "Pyongyang Joint Declaration of September 2018"

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo appointed Stephen Biegun as United States Special Representative for North Korea on August 23, 2018.[6]

In September 2018, The New York Times reported that “North Korea is making nuclear fuel and building weapons as actively as ever” but is doing so quietly, “allowing Mr. Trump to portray a denuclearization effort as on track.”[7] The Times reported two months later that North Korea appeared to be engaged in a “great deception” by offering to dismantle one missile base while developing sixteen others. The Times reported this expansion program was long known to American intelligence but contradicted Trump’s public assertions that his diplomacy was yielding results.[8] Immediately following the June 2018 summit, Trump had declared "There is no longer a Nuclear Threat from North Korea...sleep well tonight!"[9]

In September 2018, there was the third inter-Korean summit in 2018. It was held for three days between 18 September and 20 September. The agenda was finding the strategy of the breakthrough in its hampered talks with the U.S. and solution for the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.[10] [11][12]

In November 2018, North Korea repeated its demand that American economic sanctions on the country be lifted as a condition of proceeding in talks, while the Trump administration continued to insist North Korea make concessions first. Meetings between Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean officials were scheduled, canceled due to disagreements, then rescheduled.[13] The February 2019 summit was confirmed after Kim Yong Chol, North Korea’s top negotiator, met with Trump in the Oval Office on January 18, 2019.[14]

In the days leading up to the summit, Trump asserted that former president Barack Obama had been on the verge of going to war with North Korea, and had told Trump so during the transition, suggesting that Trump had pulled America back from the brink of war; former Obama aides flatly denied these claims.[15] Trump also suggested that he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his diplomacy with North Korea, asserting that Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe had nominated him for the award, although Japan did not confirm this and the nominations are confidential.[16][17] Noting that one of North Korea's primary objectives is to replace the Korean Armistice Agreement with a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War, Scott Snyder, the senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, observed, "What I worry about is the president may want the peace most — more than the denuclearization...[o]ne of the big worries that people have is that somehow the president is going to trade the alliance for the prospect of a Nobel Peace Prize."[18]

Top American intelligence officials testified to Congress in January 2019 that it was unlikely North Korea would fully dismantle its nuclear arsenal, and Trump national security advisor John Bolton continued to believe North Korea could not be trusted and denuclearization efforts would fail. Trump has asserted that North Korea’s cessation of weapons testing since the Singapore summit was a sign of progress, but Bruce Klingner of the Heritage Foundation noted there had been longer testing moratoriums during previous administrations.[19]

Going into the summit, wide gaps persisted between the two countries, including exactly what “denuclearization” means. In January, Biegun had repeated the official American stance that sanctions on North Korea would not be lifted until the country had fully denuclearized. Some U.S officials voiced skepticism that the summit would achieve tangible results, leading them and some foreign policy experts to fear Trump might make a major concession so he could declare a political victory and distract from domestic political turmoil.[19]

Preparations

Preparatory talks

Mike Pompeo (United States Secretary of State) with North Korea's chairman Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang
Special Representative Stephen Biegun Addresses the Press

On September 26, 2018, CNN reported that Mike Pompeo was to travel to North Korea to organize the second summit between President Trump and North Korea's chairman Kim Jong-un.[20]

On October 7, 2018, Pompeo travelled to Pyongyang to negotiate with Chairman Kim Jong-un. Both agreed to a second US-North Korea summit.[21] While discussions are still ongoing to determine the timing and location of this second summit,[21] South Korea's presidential office stated that it would take place "as soon as possible".[22] Pompeo also issued a statement where he claimed that his latest trip to Pyongyang was "another step forward" to denuclearization in the Korean peninsula and he also had a "good, productive conversation" with Kim, though there was still more work which needed to be done.[21] The same day, Pompeo travelled to the South Korean capital, Seoul, where he held talks with Moon.[21] Pompeo afterwards stated that details of his meeting with Kim were revealed to Moon, but that they were currently classified so that the South Korean government would be the only third party with firsthand knowledge.[23] He also stated that the summit would happen "soon".[23]

On January 8, 2019, Kim Jong Un made his fourth visit to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping to consult with him on the possibility of Kim-Trump summit in Vietnam. [24] On 13 January 2019, Pompeo said details were being worked out for a second U.S.-DPRK summit.[25] On January 14, 2019, the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that Pompeo would hold talks with North Korea January 17 or 18.[26] On January 18, 2019, according to the Wall Street Journal, The White House announced that President Trump and North Korean chairman Kim Jong-un will meet for the second time in February.[27] On January 30, 2019, Pompeo said a team is heading to Asia for the second Trump-Kim summit.[28] North Korea and the United States reportedly to hold working talks at Panmunjom around February 4.[29] On January 31, 2019, President Trump said a time and location for summit with North Korean chairman Kim Jong-un has been set, and said they would be announced next week.[30] On February 5, 2019, President Trump announced that the summit will take place on February 27–28 in Vietnam; however, he did not reveal in what city it will take place.[31] On February 10, 2019, Bloomberg reported that the United States and North Korea will resume talks in the week of February 17.[32] On February 11, 2019, South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported that Vietnam's top diplomat would visit North Korea from February 12 to 14 ahead of the second meeting between the two leaders.[33] On February 16, 2019 Reuters reported that North Korean chairman Kim Jong-un will arrive in Vietnam on February 25 ahead of the summit.[34]

The State Department special representative to North Korea, Steve Biegun, is heading to Pyongyang on Wednesday[when?] to solidify some details related to the summit, including the city where it will take place. He will also press for the North Korean counterpart to attend a series of working level meetings before the summit. With the summit just three weeks away, follow-up meetings at a working level will be needed, especially as there was no progress on denuclearization during the last visit by a North Korean delegation to Washington, in January. The North Koreans have also said that they would take steps on denuclearization if the US takes corresponding measures, though Biegun said last week that one of his tasks will be to figure out exactly what that means.[35]

Train journey to Vietnam

Kim lives in Melia Hanoi Hotel during this summit

Kim Jong-un departed from Pyongyang on February 21, according to images released by the KCNA news agency. The train will travel for more than two days through China and Vietnam to reach Hanoi, while the exact itinerary is kept secret.[36][37] Concerning the distance from DPRK to Vietnam, It would be at least a total of around 4,500 kilometers for about 60 hours by train. The train would arrive in Đồng Đăng railway station of the Vietnamese border city of Đồng Đăng on Tuesday (February 26, 2019), and Kim is scheduled to travel to Hanoi by vehicle. [38] Some experts analyzed the reason for late train trip instead of swift air travel, Kim Jong-un opts to follow his grandfather Kim Il Sung's footsteps in 1954 to Vietnam by using the train through a long journey. [39] [40]

Meeting location

Locations considered

Picture of the Presidential Palace in Hanoi; the second Trump-Kim summit location is confirmed to take place in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Picture of Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi; DPRK officials have repeatedly inspected the potential venue for the Hanoi summit.

Regarding the release from Bloomberg and the South Korean newspaper: Munhwa Ilbo anticipated the location of the second Trump–Kim Summit as Vietnam's capital city Hanoi because Vietnam is a long-standing partner of DPRK, and there is also an excellent foreign relationship between Vietnam and the US.[41] During the 2019 State of the Union Address, President Trump announced Vietnam as the host of the second meeting between the two leaders.[42][43]

City choice

There was a list of several cities that were considered potential to host this event. It includes government direct-administered cities (Hanoi, Đà Nẵng, Hồ Chí Minh City,...) and some other places like Hạ Long, Nha Trang, Phú Quốc. However, Hanoi is said to be the brightest candidate for many reasons, such as being presented with the title “City for Peace” by the UNESCO, being the capital of Vietnam, and being a favorable place for Vietnamese leaders to meet DPRK leaders and USA leaders.

It was reported that when the city in Vietnam was still being discussed, the main contenders were Hanoi (favored by North Korea because it has its Embassy there) and Da Nang (favored by the United States because the 2017 APEC Vietnam summit was held there).[44]

On February 8, 2019, President Trump confirmed that Hanoi, Vietnam will host the summit meeting.[45]

Venue choice

DPRK officials have repeatedly investigated the Government Guesthouse and the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Hanoi's first international hotel. However, the venue for the Hanoi summit meeting has still gone unannounced. [46]

Reactions

Pre-summit

Cheong Seong-chang, vice president of research planning at the Sejong Institute in South Korea, said that "After the first Trump-Kim summit, for 260 days, they did not waste their timeliness. Instead, they continuously finalized their negotiation strategies for the two leader’s agreement and terms for the next step to be discussed on the second Trump-Kim summit."[47] However, Robert Carlin, a former CIA and State Department intelligence analyst, claimed "We should not expect too much of the process of denuclearization from North Korea as it is unrealistic to try to see the endpoint of denuclearization in such a hasty mind set."[citation needed]

BBC News believes that DPRK Chairman Kim Jong-un could potentially learn from Vietnam's social, political, and economic history [48][49] during the second Trump-Kim summit. While this country has strict rules against political liberalization, it is fairly lax in their social, religious, and economic guidelines. Citizens were able to travel to neighboring countries often. Vietnam also pursued multi-front foreign policies so they would not be dependent on just one economy and built modern systems for banking and finance. DPRK can also learn from Vietnam’s mistakes in the past regarding managing their natural resources and handling political unrest. These are some cases the DPRK could learn from Vietnam’s practice to help them in improving their economy, by attracting foreign investors and developing closer relations with other countries. It is also assumed that Vietnam’s economic reform is a better pattern for DPRK to follow than China.[49]

Al Jazeera news assumed that the impact of China on the second Trump-Kim summit would be significant. The relationship between China and North Korea is centered on "mutual benefit" but it’s differs from "mutual trust" An Australian professor Carlyle Thayer claimed China and the DPRK are of the corresponding inclination after Kims' four visits to China and "It indicates some kind of coordination". China believes that it is impossible for North Korea to abruptly destroy nuclear missiles. However, as the political power of North Korea’s regime continues to be maintained, it is hoped that North Korea's nuclear missile program will be shut down gradually, as economic sanctions against North Korea are eased. [50]

Andrew Kim, who was head of the CIA’s Korea Mission Center, believes in the young North Korean leader Kim’s genuine desire to achieve denuclearization and get a concession from the USA. In a speech he made on Friday (Feb 22) at Stanford University, Andrew Kim quoted President Kim Jong-Un saying, “‘I’m a father and a husband. And I have children. And I don’t want my children to carry the nuclear weapon on their back their whole life.’”. He also believes that DPRK tried to strike a deal with previous Administrations, but they waited too long, and they aim to finalize the deal with the Trump administration before it’s too late. Andrew assessed that the closure of the YongByon nuclear facility will be the beginning of full denuclearization, and this could lead to a peace treaty, even to the end of the Korean war 1950-53. YongByon facility known to the center of nuclear development and research in North Korea. [51]

See also

References

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  2. ^ Zhenhua, Lu (September 26, 2018). "Second summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un may be held 'after October'". scmp.com. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  3. ^ "Trump calls for end to 'revenge' politics at State of Union". vietnamnews.vn. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  4. ^ "Trump says 2nd US-N.K. summit to be held in Hà Nội". vietnamnews.vn. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  5. ^ "Vietnamese foreign minister to visit North Korea". vietnamnews.vn. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  6. ^ "Biegun, Stephen E." U.S. Department of State.
  7. ^ Sanger, David E. (September 16, 2018). "North Korea's Trump-Era Strategy: Keep Making A-Bombs, but Quietly" – via NYTimes.com.
  8. ^ Sanger, David E.; Broad, William J. (November 12, 2018). "In North Korea, Missile Bases Suggest a Great Deception" – via NYTimes.com.
  9. ^ CNN, Veronica Stracqualursi and Stephen Collinson. "Trump declares North Korea 'no longer a nuclear threat'". CNN. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  10. ^ "N. Korea's media report on agreement to hold inter-Korean summit". August 19, 2018.
  11. ^ "North Korea agrees to dismantle missile test site as Kim Jong Un, Moon Jae-in sign deal". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  12. ^ "Pyongyang Joint Declaration of September 2018". NCNK. September 19, 2018. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
  13. ^ "Pompeo's meeting with North Korean counterpart called off at last minute". Washington Post.
  14. ^ Landler, Mark; Sanger, David E. (January 18, 2019). "Trump and Kim Jong-un to Hold Second Summit Meeting Next Month" – via NYTimes.com.
  15. ^ Baker, Peter (February 16, 2019). "The War That Wasn't: Trump Claims Obama Was Ready to Strike North Korea" – via NYTimes.com.
  16. ^ "Trump makes his case for Nobel Peace Prize, complains he'll never..." February 15, 2019 – via www.reuters.com.
  17. ^ "Abe mum on Trump's claim of nomination for Nobel Peace Prize". Washington Post.
  18. ^ Landler, Mark (February 21, 2019). "Peace Treaty, and Peace Prize, for North Korea Appear to Tempt Trump" – via NYTimes.com.
  19. ^ a b "'No rush': Trump redefines success ahead of second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un". Washington Post.
  20. ^ Nicole Gaouette, Elise Labott, Jennifer Hansler (September 26, 2018). "Pompeo to travel to North Korea to arrange second Trump-Kim summit". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
  21. ^ a b c d "Pompeo says has good meeting with North Korea's Kim but more needs..." October 7, 2018 – via www.reuters.com.
  22. ^ "Seoul: US, N. Korea Agree to Second Summit 'As Soon as Possible'". VOA.
  23. ^ a b Herald, The Korea (October 7, 2018). "US-North Korea summit to take place 'soon' : Pompeo". www.koreaherald.com.
  24. ^ "Kim Jong-un visit to China 'stepping stone' to second Trump summit". The Telegraph.
  25. ^ Pompeo says 'details' are being worked out for 2nd U.S.-N.K. summit, Yonhap, 14 January 2019.
  26. ^ U.S., North Korea to hold talks this week after nuclear standoff: South Korean paper, Reuters, 14 January 2019.
  27. ^ McBride, Courtney (January 19, 2019). "Trump and Kim to Hold Second Summit in February" – via www.wsj.com.
  28. ^ "Pompeo says team heading to Asia for 2nd Trump-Kim summit". thestate.
  29. ^ "N. Korea and US reportedly to hold working talks at Panmunjom around Feb. 4". english.hani.co.kr.
  30. ^ "U.S. envoy raises prospect of compromise in North Korea talks". February 1, 2019 – via www.reuters.com.
  31. ^ 이해아 (February 6, 2019). "Trump: U.S.-N. Korea summit to be held in Vietnam Feb. 27-28". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  32. ^ "Bloomberg - Are you a robot?". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved February 14, 2019. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
  33. ^ 송상호 (February 12, 2019). "Vietnam's top diplomat to visit N. Korea ahead of Trump-Kim summit". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  34. ^ "Kim Jong Un to arrive in Vietnam on February 25 ahead of Trump summit". February 16, 2019 – via www.reuters.com.
  35. ^ CNN, Kylie Atwood and Zachary Cohen. "Trump announces second Kim summit will take place in Vietnam". CNN. Retrieved February 14, 2019. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  36. ^ "Kim Jong-un begins train ride to Vietnam for Donald Trump summit". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. February 24, 2019. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  37. ^ "DPRK confirms Kim Jong Un on train to Vietnam". news.cgtn.com. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
  38. ^ "(6th LD) (US-NK summit) N.K. leader's train heads south without stopping in Beijing". English version - Korean YonHap News Agency- en.yna.co.kr. February 24, 2019. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  39. ^ "In his grandfather's footsteps, North Korea's Kim arrives in Vietnam". February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  40. ^ ARIRANG NEWS- 24 Feb 2019:[ISSUE TALK N. Korean leader on way to Vietnam; U.S. president to depart on Monday| ARIRANG NEWS]
  41. ^ "Trump, Kim likely to choose Hanoi for second summit: Report". The Straits Times. January 7, 2019.
  42. ^ "State of the Union: Trump announces second North Korea summit". bbc.com.
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  45. ^ "Trump says his meeting with North Korea's Kim will be held in Hanoi". cnbc.com.
  46. ^ "North Korean leader's train heads to Hanoi carrying high expectations". The Sydney Mornning Herald - www.smh.com.au.
  47. ^ NBC-NEWS-JAPAN - 17 April 2018:Second Trump-Kim summit seen coming as North Korea continues to 'nuclearize' | Japantimes.co.jp
  48. ^ "Trump-Kim summit: What might Kim learn from hosts Vietnam?'". BBC.com.
  49. ^ a b ""Trump and Kim: Enemies to frenemies?"". BBC.com.
  50. ^ ""China's shadow looms large over second Trump-Kim summit"". aljazeera.com.
  51. ^ ""North Korea's Kim cites own children as reason to give up nukes: ex-CIA official"". aljazeera.com.
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