Preparations in full swing for Trump-Kim summit

SEOUL. KAZINFORM With the second meeting between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump five days away, the Korean War foes look busy preparing for what would be a watershed event in denuclearization, future bilateral relations and regional security.

Their emissaries are holding two-track negotiations in Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital that is set to host the two-day summit from next Wednesday, Yonhap reports.

Kim Hyok-chol, Pyongyang's new point man on Washington, met with his counterpart Stephen Biegun for hours at a Hanoi hotel Thursday. They are expected to hold additional talks up until the last minute before the summit to reach a rough deal on the wording of the so-called Hanoi Declaration.

South Korea's chief nuclear envoy, Lee Do-hoon, headed to Hanoi on Friday for consultations with Biegun to coordinate a negotiation strategy.

Separately, a North Korean team, led by Kim Chang-son, an official at the State Affairs Commission, is crisscrossing the city apparently to decide the leader's itinerary, lodging and the summit location.

The team is also reportedly in contact with a group of U.S. officials headed by Daniel Walsh, a White House adviser, to fine-tune the details of the leaders' joint photo-ops and other public availability, such as the timing of handshakes between Kim and Trump and the angle of cameras.