Trump-Kim summit 2019: Kim Jong-un crosses Yalu River into China on his train journey to Hanoi

A diplomat said that Kim would cross the border into Vietnam from China by train, stopping at the border town of Dong Dang

During previous visits by Kim, Chinese authorities have put train stations and hotels on lockdown to ensure his security

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A train believed to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un leaves from a train station in the Chinese border city of Dandong, on Saturday. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 10:39pm, 23 Feb 2019Updated: 1:32pm, 24 Feb 2019

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has started his train journey to Vietnam a full five days ahead of his summit with US President Donald Trump in Hanoi.

The train crossed the border city of Dandong late Saturday and had been expected to reach Beijing Sunday morning, according to South Korea’s Yonhap and the specialist outlet NK News.

His departure from the Pyongyang railway station was confirmed by North Korea’s official KCNA news agency, but the Chinese side has yet to report on what could be a 60-hour journey to Vietnam.

TV footage and photos distributed by the North’s state-run news agency on Sunday showed Kim inspecting a guard of honour at the Pyongyang station before waving from the train.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un waves as he boards a train in Pyongyang. Photo: EPA

One source told NKNews, that the windows of the train were blacked out, with only its headlights turned on as it crossed the border.

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