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| A train believed to be carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un leaves the railway station in the Chinese border city of Dandong, in this photo taken by Kyodo on Saturday. Reuters-Yonhap |
Kim Jong-un begins journey across China for Hanoi summit using an armored train
By Kim Yoo-chul
HANOI _ There is still a chance North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will visit a cutting-edge Samsung Electronics handset factory in northern Vietnam before or after his second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Vietnamese capital, two sources said Sunday.
"Preparatory work on security and other issues is under way for a possible visit by North Korean leader Kim to Samsung Electronics' handset factory in Thai Nguyen during his visit to the Southeast Asian country," one source here said on condition of anonymity as she wasn't officially authorized to speak to the media.
Samsung, the world's top handset maker, runs several factories in Vietnam.
"The Vietnamese government wants to show the North Korean leader why reliable continued flow of foreign capital is necessary for economic growth and attracting continued foreign investment eventually matters," the source said.
She said the Samsung factory in Thai Nguyen is "most accessible," being just 60 kilometers from Hanoi.
Samsung officials in Seoul say they have not been notified of the possibility of Kim visiting one of its factories outside the capital.
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| Seen is Samsung Electronics' handset factory in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam, April 2017. According to The Korea Times sources, the factory is the most "accessible" of Samsung Electronics' buildings in Vietnam as it is just 60 kilometers from Hanoi where the second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump will be held on Feb 27 and 28. / Yonhap |
The Samsung factory in northern Vietnam employs more than 70,000 people. It makes more handsets than any other facility in the world.
Vietnam's economic growth has shown signs of improvement thanks to a solid recovery in Samsung's handset exports. The company has invested $17 billion in the Southeast Asian country since 2009, with Samsung alone accounting for almost a quarter of Vietnam's total exports of $214 billion last year.
In the mid-1980s, Vietnam embraced global trade, beginning its rise as a "manufacturing base" for Samsung and many other global hardware-producing companies. The "Doi Moi" reforms initiated and developed by its communist rulers, modeled largely on China's transformation into the world's factory floor, could provide a model for North Korea.
"Samsung Electronics isn't the only South Korean firm driving the growth of the Vietnamese economy. However, the so-called Samsung factor has shown why absorbing large flows of reliable foreign investment are necessary to a country that has the growth potential but lags on multiple fronts," another source said. "If Kim visits one of Samsung's factories, that will be a good learning experience."
U.S. President Donald Trump earlier said North Korea has great potential to become an economic powerhouse. But Kim said his efforts to improve the impoverished economy have been hit by tough United Nations sanctions. South Korean President Moon Jae-in told Trump over the phone that if Washington eases economic sanctions on the North, that will help Washington save money.
The key agenda item for the Trump-Kim summit is what reciprocal steps there should be in exchange for the North's updated plans to disband its nuclear program, fully and verifiably. Political analysts say the level of North Korea's actions will be based on whether the U.S. provides measures for an easing of economic sanctions.
