On Sunday I wondered what the North Koreans were making of the Hanoi Summit collapse, and posted a screen dump of the Supreme Leader's Activities from the official Rodong Sinmun.
Here's what it looks like today:
All about meeting the Vietnamese leaders, and nothing about Trump. Any mention of the US summit - so heralded beforehand - has disappeared.
Here's that top item, about Kim arriving home:
Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, arrived at home on Tuesday after successfully wrapping up his official goodwill visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
Seen to greet Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un at Pyongyang Railway Station were Kim Yong Nam, Choe Ryong Hae and Pak Pong Ju, Presidium members of the Political Bureau of the WPK Central Committee, and other senior officials of the Party, government and armed forces organs.
Also seen there were staff members of the Vietnamese embassy here.
At 3 o'clock in the early morning, his train entered the railway station yard.
When he got off the train, he received a salute from the head of the guards of honor of the Korean People's Army.
A ceremony for greeting him took place at the station.
He was presented with bunches of flowers by a boy and girl.
Senior officials of the Party, government and armed forces organs greeted him with their ardent congratulations.
He exchanged greetings shaking hands with them.
Acknowledging the enthusiastically cheering masses, he extended warm greetings to all the beloved people.
Enthusiastically cheering masses, at 3 o'clock in the morning?
But yes, an official goodwill visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, successfully wrapped up - that's all it was. Trump? It didn't happen.
From South Korea's Chosun Ilbo:
North Korean officials were more taken aback than they let on after leader Kim Jong-un's summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi collapsed, South Korea's spy agency told lawmakers.
Now that Kim has returned to Pyongyang, "it will take quite a while for them to review what happened to the summit," a National Intelligence Service officer was quoted by lawmakers as saying Tuesday.
But the NIS added Kim had made thorough preparations to prevent a coup in his absence, the longest since he took power.
"Before his departure, Kim had banned the use of airports and firearms, as well as suspending all military drills," a lawmaker said.
Comments