North Korea glorifies Trump-Kim summit in documentary, omitting failed negotiations in Hanoi
- The documentary includes scenes of Kim Jong-un at the North Korean embassy Hanoi, where some people skipped and wept with emotion
- The footage’s release on Wednesday came amid reports that Pyongyang is restoring some facilities at its long-range rocket launch site that it dismantled last year as part of disarmament steps
The documentary shows a smiling Kim talking with Trump while walking together inside a Hanoi hotel last week.
It shows Kim’s black limousine passing through a Hanoi street lined with residents waving flags. The footage also shows Kim visiting the North Korean Embassy where some skipped and wept with emotions before they took a group photo with the backdrop of a huge picture of Kim’s late father and grandfather.
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The Hanoi summit broke down due to disputes over US-led sanctions on North Korea. Washington and Pyongyang blame each other for the talks’ breakdown, but both sides still leave the door open for future negotiations.
North Korean documentaries are typically propaganda venerating Kim, the subject of a strong personality cult among the North’s 25 million people.
Some observers say omitting the status of the nuclear talks also shows the North hopes to continue negotiations, while also not letting North Korean people know of any diplomatic failures that could damage his leadership.
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Earlier on Tuesday, two US-based websites specialising in North Korea studies cited commercial satellite imagery as indicating that North Korea is rebuilding some structures at its northwestern rocket launch facility.
The renewed activity was recorded two days after the summit and may “demonstrate resolve in the face of US rejection” of the North’s request for sanctions relief, said researchers at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
“Activity is evident at the vertical engine test stand and the launch pad’s rail-mounted rocket transfer structure,” the CSIS report said.
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“Significantly, the environmental shelters on the umbilical tower, which are normally closed, have been opened to show the launch pad.
“This facility had been dormant since August 2018, indicating the current activity is deliberate and purposeful.”
Researchers said that the activity may be intended to “demonstrate resolve in the face of US rejection” of the North’s request for an easing of sanctions in return for some dismantlement of nuclear weapons infrastructure.
South Korea’s spy service gave a similar assessment to lawmakers in Seoul in a closed-door briefing on Tuesday.
