US, North Korean officials discuss 2nd Trump-Kim summit

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could meet in Vietnam’s capital for their second summit on Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions, a South Korean newspaper reported on Monday.

US officials discussed the schedule for the second Trump-Kim summit while in contact with North Korean officials in Hanoi, fuelling speculation that Vietnam could host the event, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed diplomatic sources in Seoul and Washington.

Vietnam has diplomatic relations with both the United States and North Korea, with North Korea maintaining a diplomatic office in Vietnam, and has the symbolic significance of a communist country that has reformed its economy, the newspaper reported.

Such a summit would be certain to grab global attention and help boost the profile of the host nation. But it also presents enormous security challenges for Trump, the leader of the world’s biggest economy, and Kim, head of arguably one of the world’s most paranoid states.

A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Seoul did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump has previously said he plans to hold a second meeting with Kim as early as this month, although a date and location have not yet been announced.

While the two sides had "a very good dialogue" and the American president had "indirectly" communicated with Kim, Trump said sanctions would be enforced until more progress is made.

In a nationally televised New Year address, Kim said he is willing to meet Trump again anytime to achieve their common goal of denuclearising the Korean Peninsula, but warned he may have to take an alternative path if US sanctions and pressure against the country continued.

"I am always ready to sit together with the US president anytime in the future, and will work hard to produce results welcomed by the international community without fail," Kim said.

Other places floated as hosts include Singapore, Mongolia and Switzerland.