North Korea-U.S. Summit

[Anchor Lead]

The date and host country of the second North Korea-US summit has been announced, but where in Vietnam the meeting will take place is still unknown. North Korea and the US are found to be in a tug of war over whether the summit should be held in Hanoi or Da Nang.

[Pkg]

As expected, U.S. President Donald Trump announced during his State of the Union address that his second summit with the North Korean leader will take place in Vietnam. But he did not give the name of the host city. With less than 3 weeks left before the big meeting, the U.S. State Department said working-level talks are under way over the summit venue.

[Soundbite] Robert Palladino(Deputy Spokesperson, U.S. State Department)

North Korea is known to prefer Hanoi where its embassy is located, while the U.S. wants the resort city of Da Nang for security reasons. But it's the first time the State Department has confirmed the host city is yet to be determined. Ahead of their all important summit, the two sides are engaged in a tug of war over where the event should take place. If it's held in Hanoi, North Korea can also push for diplomacy with Vietnam's leaders in addition to the Kim-Trump summit. In the case of a Hanoi summit, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is known to be preparing for a state visit to Vietnam. Meanwhile Washington strongly seeks the second summit in the relatively isolated coastal Da Nang to better focus on denuclearization negotiations. The U.S. State Department remains cautious saying that it cannot confirm the schedules of Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun who is currently in Pyongyang for working-level talks with the North.