INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Kim Chang-son was also seen last year scouting out hotels in Singapore
The "butler" of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is in Vietnam ahead of a summit meeting with US President Donald Trump set for next
week.During his visit to the capital city of Hanoi, the de-facto chief of staff Kim Chang-son, has been seen checking out potential summit
venues.Kim Jong-un will meet Mr Trump on 27-28 February for a planned second meeting.Their first meeting, in Singapore last June, was the
first time the two countries' serving leaders had met.Who is Kim Chang-sonA close aide of Kim Jong-un, Kim Chang-son, who has previously
been referred to by South Korean media as the "butler" to the North Korean leader, arrived in Vietnam over the weekend.Kim Chang-son is
currently the country's de-facto chief of staff, but has been in the Kim family's employ for many years.According to NK Leadership Watch, he
was previously the director and chief secretary of the National Defence Commission
He was also Kim Jong-un's chief aide, and was responsible for his schedule and itineraries
What is he doing in VietnamMr Kim has been seen checking out possible venues for the summit in Hanoi, according to Reuters.He was seen
visiting a government guesthouse and the Metropole and Melia hotels, located in the centre of the city
Image copyrightReutersImage caption
Mr Kim at the Metropole hotel in Hanoi
He is also likely to be
discussing protocol and security matters with his US counterparts
Daniel Walsh, the deputy chief of staff for operations and assistant to the US president, and Alex Wong, the US deputy assistant secretary
of state for North Korea are both already in the capital
What can we learn from him being thereIt's a clear sign that the summit is moving ahead as planned.During the June summit in Singapore last
year, Mr Kim had also been seen scouting out different hotels ahead of the summit
So it's no surprise that he has been sent out again to do the same in Hanoi
If all goes to plan, it will be a matter of time before the venue is announced
What do we know about the summitNot much.It's not clear what exactly will be on the agenda, though some experts suggests that there could be
discussion around the dismantling of North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear facility.The first summit saw the two leaders agree to work towards
denuclearisation, but there were no details on what this would entail.Image copyrightAFPImage caption
The first
Kim-Trump summit was historic but nothing concrete was really achieved
It's unlikely that the pair will be able to get away
with a vaguely-worded agreement a second time, observers say, and many will be watching to see if anything concrete comes out of the
meeting.Why is it happening in VietnamIt is an ideal location for many reasons
It has diplomatic relations with both the US and North Korea, despite once having been enemies with the US, and could be used by the US as
an example of two countries working together and setting aside their past grievances.Ideologically, both Vietnam and North Korea are
communist countries, though Vietnam has rapidly developed since and become one of the fastest growing economies in Asia
Logistically, Vietnam is well within flight range of North Korea making it easy enough for Mr Kim's personal jet to get to.Vietnam has also
previously hosted high-level summits
The coastal city of Da Nang hosted the Apec summit in 2017 which saw world leaders in attendance
But this time, it will be Hanoi's turn to step up to the plate.
