The Vietnamese Foreign Ministry has removed the White House press corps from the media center at the hotel where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is staying in the capital of Vietnam.
This happened as the North Korean leader arrived in Hanoi on Tuesday for his two-day summit with US President Donald Trump.
“The American Media Center will be relocated from Melia hotel to International Media Center,” the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry tweeted Tuesday.
📢📢📢FYI:
the American Media Center will be relocated from Melia hotel to International Media Center at 91 Tran Hung Dao Hanoi#DPRKUSA #HanoiSummit— MoFAVietNam Spokesperson (@PressDept_MoFA) February 26, 2019
US journalists will now have to transmit reports on the Trump-Kim meeting from other locations.
The North Korean leader’s security team reportedly forced people out of the area as Kim arrived at the hotel accompanied by senior officials and his sister, Kim Yo-jong, who has emerged as an important aide.
“Security forces prohibited us from taking pictures from inside the hotel though we could see (state?) camera rolling on him as his entourage came thru,” Margaret Talev, senior White House correspondent for Bloomberg tweeted. “Guards were literally right up on us saying no cameras.”
KJU ARRIVES MELIA
— Margaret Talev (@margarettalev) February 26, 2019
Trump arrives in Vietnam
Meanwhile, President Trump arrived in Hanoi on Tuesday night for the summit. He was greeted by Vietnamese officials. He talked with people for few minutes and then climbed into a car and drove toward his hotel.
Trump hailed the “great reception” and “tremendous crowds” gathered to welcome him.
“Just arrived in Vietnam. Thank you to all of the people for the great reception in Hanoi. Tremendous crowds, and so much love!” he tweeted.
Just arrived in Vietnam. Thank you to all of the people for the great reception in Hanoi. Tremendous crowds, and so much love!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 26, 2019
Trump landed in Vietnam after a about 20-hour flight that stopped for refueling in the United Kingdom and Qatar.
Kim and Trump will meet for a brief one-on-one conversation on Wednesday evening, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters on Air Force One, adding that the meeting would be followed by a dinner, at which the leaders will each be accompanied by two guests and interpreters.
Another meeting will be held between Kim and Trump on Thursday, according to Sanders.
The Vietnam talks come eight months after Trump and Kim held their first summit in Singapore, in which they reached a vague denuclearization agreement.
Washington has said it will not lift sanctions unless a full denuclearization of North Korea is confirmed. Pyongyang says the agreement reached on denuclearization includes the entire Korean Peninsula and should entail the removal of the US nuclear umbrella over South Korea and the pullout of American forces from the region.
Trump stressed on Thursday that the issue of troop withdrawal from South Korea was not “on the table” in the Hanoi summit.