Feb 28

Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump took a brief walkabout after meeting, joined by envoys Updated at 10:50 Beijing Time

Kim and Trump began talks on the second day Updated at 10:00 Beijing Time

Feb 27

Kim and Trump left the Metropole Hotel Updated at 21:35 Beijing Time

Kim and Trump, accompanied by some of their top aides, have begun their social dinner Updated at 20:20 Beijing Time

The pair started a one-on-one meeting with their translators after the photo session Updated at 19:40 Beijing Time

The two leaders greeted each other with warm smiles and shook hands for several seconds Updated at 19:30 Beijing Time

Kim-Trump summit: What’s in store today?

Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump on Thursday started talks in Hanoi, Vietnam for the second day of their second summit to hammer out a deal for peace and on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

They began talks at 9 am at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi in the Vietnamese capital before expanding the bilateral meeting 45 minutes later which will include aides and other officials, according to the White House.

After holding a working lunch, the two leaders plan to sign a joint statement around 2 pm. It remains uncertain whether their joint statement will contain a plan for concrete denuclearization steps.

DPRK's Korean Central News Agency reported on Wednesday that the two leaders are eyeing a "comprehensive and epoch-making" accord.

"Sincere and deep opinions were exchanged with a view to making comprehensive and epoch-making results in the talks in order to meet the interest and expectation of the whole world for the successful Hanoi summit," the KCNA said, referring to their first-day meeting.

On Wednesday, Kim and Trump held around half an hour of one-on-one talks, the first day of their two-day summit, which was followed by a small group social dinner also involving their top aides.

Trump touted "great meetings" and "very good dialogue." Kim said he would do his best to produce a "great outcome" to be welcomed by all people.

It is reported that Trump also plans to brief reporters in person on the outcome of the second summit with Kim before heading back to Washington in the evening.

Kim, Trump express hope, confidence in talks' success

The second summit of Democratic People's Republic of Korea top leader Kim Jong-un and United States President Donald Trump began on Wednesday in Hanoi, Vietnam, with both leaders expressing hope and confidence that this week's talks will be successful.

The two leaders greeted each other with warm smiles and shook hands for several seconds in front of the flags of their countries at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel.

Trump said his previous talks with Kim in Singapore were a great success and the Hanoi meeting will "hopefully be equal or greater than the first". He added their personal relationship constituted the biggest progress and told Kim that the DPRK has tremendous economic potential.

Kim said he would do his best to produce a "great outcome" to be welcomed by all people.

The pair started a one-on-one meeting with their translators after the photo session. It was followed by a "social dinner" involving some of their top aides.

Two US officials — Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Mick Mulvaney, the White House's acting chief of staff — joined the dinner session, which last about an hour and a half. Kim Yong-chol, a senior official of the Workers' Party of Korea, and DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho were at the dining table as well.

The dinner session was thought to serve as a tone-setting test for the formal talks scheduled on Thursday morning, which may decide the future of a peace process that has been stalled after the two leaders' Singapore summit in June.

On Wednesday, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that Beijing hopes the Hanoi summit between Kim and Trump will take an important step forward to achieve denuclearization and establish a peace mechanism on the Korean Peninsula.

"China expects the meeting between leaders of the DPRK and the US will continue moving forward in the direction of the 'dual-track' approach," Wang said at a news conference after the 16th meeting of the foreign ministers of China, Russia and India in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province.

Analysts have described Kim and Trump's Singapore summit as focused on breaking the ice to pave the way for full-scale diplomacy on denuclearization, improved ties and a formal conclusion to the war on the Korean Peninsula, going beyond the armistice reached in 1953. Now the two nations are facing a more daunting task of attempting to reach specific deals over details, going beyond a vaguely worded joint statement, they said.

Trump met separately with Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc earlier on Wednesday. Kim is likely to meet the Vietnamese leaders during his two-day "official goodwill" visit after the summit with Trump, given the local media reports saying Kim would leave the country on Saturday.

Trump and Kim prepare for second summit in Vietnam

Trump expressed optimism about his upcoming summit with Kim as he tweeted aboard Air Force One: "Heading over to Vietnam for my meeting with Kim Jong-un. Looking forward to a very productive Summit (sic)!"

Before departing for Hanoi, he also said, "We want denuclearization, and I think he'll have a country that will set a lot of records for speed in terms of an economy."

Trump told press on Feb 20 that his trip to Vietnam would be "very successful," anticipating his two-day meeting with Kim would "accomplish a lot."

"That doesn't mean this is going to be the last meeting, because I don't believe it will. But we have subjects to discuss which will be very fruitful," Trump said.

Trump also said on Feb 19 he would like to see the "ultimate denuclearization" of the DPRK, but at the same time noted that he was "in no particular rush" given that the sanctions remain in effect and Pyongyang has refrained from nuclear and missile testing.

Kim Jong-un has instructed officials to make "good technical preparations" for a second DPRK-US summit, the Korean Central News Agency reported on Jan 24.

Kim said that he thinks of Trump in a positive way. With good faith and patience, the two countries will reach the goal step by step.

During his Jan 7-10 trip to China, Kim Jong-un said that Pyongyang will make efforts for the second summit between DPRK and US leaders to achieve results that will be welcomed by the international community. The DPRK leader also thanked China for its efforts.

Kim also said on Jan 1 in his New Year speech that he would push forward the denuclearization and was ready to meet with Trump at any time.

Expectations ahead of the summit

China hopes 2nd DPRK-US meeting successful

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Tuesday China welcomes the second Kim-Trump summit and hopes substantive outcomes will be achieved.

China is a keen promoter of a denuclearized, peaceful and stable Korean Peninsula, but the goals cannot be achieved without joint efforts from the DPRK and the US, Lu said.

China expects a successful second summit between the DPRK and the US, Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Feb 20.

"We expect the second meeting of the leaders of the DPRK and the US will be held as scheduled and achieve positive results to inject new impetus to the denuclearization and lasting peace on the peninsula," Geng said at a daily news conference.

Direct contact and dialogue between the DPRK and the US hold the key to resolving the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, he said, adding that China always supports the two sides tackling the issue through dialogue.

Since last year, there has been a major turnaround of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, as the DPRK-US summit in Singapore broke the impasse of the nuclear issue, Geng said.

Second DPRK-US summit to be critical turning point: Moon

Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in said that the second summit between the DPRK and the US will be a critical turning point for the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula on Feb 11 during a meeting with his senior secretaries.

Moon said the era of peace and prosperity on the peninsula was approaching further, noting that the second Kim-Trump summit was anticipated to become a historic meeting which turns the peninsula from the era of confrontation and hostility into one of peace and prosperity.

The change, Moon said, can give the ROK an opportunity for developing inter-Korean relations to a higher level, which can lead to a future of peace contributing to economic development.

Trump said he discussed "probably every aspect" of the second US-DPRK summit with Moon during a phone conversation on Feb 19.

Moon said his country was ready to assume any role, if Trump demands, to offer corresponding measures to facilitate denuclearization on the peninsula during the phone conversation.

The following is a list of major interaction events that happened in the past two years between the United States and the DPRK:

On Feb 8, 2019, US State Department said US special representative for the DPRK Stephen Biegun concluded his three-day visit to Pyongyang. Biegun and his DPRK counterpart Kim Hyok Chol discussed advancing the commitments that the two leaders made at their Singapore summit.

Earlier on Monday, Moon voiced his wish for a successful second DPRK-US summit, saying that "we wish for the success of the summit as an expression of our support for the two leaders".

Major interactions between US, DPRK in past two years

On Feb 8, 2019, Trump said that he will meet for the second time with Kim on Feb 27-28 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

On Jan 18, 2019, senior representatives from Pyongyang and Washington met in Stockholm, Sweden to prepare for a second summit meeting between leaders of the two countries.

On Jan 18, 2019, the White House said the second summit between US and DPRK leaders "will take place near the end of February." The announcement was made after Trump wrapped up a meeting with Kim Yong-chol, vice-chairman of the DPRK's ruling Korean Workers' Party Central Committee.

On July 7, 2018, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Pyongyang for high-level talks with officials of the DPRK.

On July 2, 2018, the DPRK and the United States held working-level talks at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom.

On May 24, 2018, the DPRK dismantled the Punggye-ri nuclear test ground in front of foreign journalists, but Trump announced hours later that he's pulling out of the summit, citing some DPRK official's "tremendous anger and open hostility" remarks towards the United States.

On May 10, 2018, Trump tweeted that his meeting with Kim will be in Singapore on June 12.

On May 9, 2018, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made another visit to Pyongyang to prepare for the Trump-Kim summit. The DPRK released three Americans who had been imprisoned after Pompeo's visit.

On April 9, 2018, Trump said that he expected to meet the DPRK leader in May or early June. On April 18, Trump confirmed that then CIA chief Mike Pompeo met with Kim Jong-un in a secret visit to Pyongyang in the previous week.

On Feb 8, 2019, US State Department said US special representative for the DPRK Stephen Biegun concluded his three-day visit to Pyongyang. Biegun and his DPRK counterpart Kim Hyok Chol discussed advancing the commitments that the two leaders made at their Singapore summit.

On July 26, 2018, the White House said a US military aircraft carrying the remains of US soldiers who died in the Korean War had left the DPRK earlier on the same day.

On Sept 3, 2017, the DPRK conducted its sixth nuclear test. One day after the test, the United States distributed a draft resolution on DPRK sanctions to UN Security Council members for discussions. On Sept 11, the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to impose fresh sanctions on the DPRK, targeting the country's oil imports and textile exports.