She is Kim Jong-un’s closest confidante – a trusted member of the North Korean ruling dynasty who has shadowed her elder brother during every step of his transformation from nuclear pariah to statesman. As Kim made the long train journey from Pyongyang to Hanoi for his second denuclearisation summit with Donald Trump, Kim Yo-jong was by his side again – this time with an ashtray. Footage captured by the Japanese TV network TBS shows Kim Jong-un, a heavy smoker, taking a pre-dawn cigarette break on Tuesday at Nanning railway station in southern China during his 70-hour journey to Vietnam for his two-day meeting with the US president. Kim Jong Un had a cigarette break this morning at Nanning station in China. Kim Yo Jong can be seen carrying an ashtray for him. Hyon Song Wol also visible in one shot. Pics from TBS Japanhttps://t.co/3imj1VnugQ pic.twitter.com/gu3cATjjiK — Chad O'Carroll (@chadocl) February 26, 2019 His craving apparently satisfied, he walks towards his sister, who is holding out what appears to be a crystal ashtray into which he places his cigarette butt. Also seen on the platform is Hyon Song-wol, a member of North Korea’s ruling party elite and the leader of the famous Moranbong girl band handpicked by Kim. Hyon’s inclusion in Kim’s delegation has raised speculation that cultural events could be part of the agreements reached between Washington and Pyongyang this week as they look for easier steps to improve relations. Official photographs often show Kim with a cigarette dangling between his fingers, even on a visit to an orphanage and, in July 2017, while standing next to a liquid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile shortly before its test launch. But he was forced to go without during his first meeting with the South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, just south of their countries’ heavily armed border last April. Over the course of their meetings, Kim did not light up once in Moon’s presence, apparently out of respect for his South Korean counterpart, who is 31 years his senior. Reports said Kim succumbed just once, quietly slipping out of the crowded banquet hall in the evening to smoke in a separate room. Kim Yo-jong, who holds senior positions in the Workers’ party of Korea, has been a visible presence throughout the high-stakes diplomatic process that will continue in Hanoi from Wednesday. She represented Kim at the start of last year’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea and was present at the second inter-Korean summit last May. And when Kim and Trump agreed to work towards the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula during their first meeting in Singapore last June, the North Korean leader insisted on signing the joint statements with his own pen, handed to him – cap removed – by his sister.<doc-sep>It’s hard keeping up with Kim Jong Un. The North Korean despot arrived in Vietnam on Tuesday after enduring an almost 70-hour train ride through southern China, but one of his aides seemed unprepared for the big red carpet arrival. Kim was captured on video disembarking his green-and-yellow armored train Tuesday at Dong Dang station along the China-Vietnam border and walking down a red carpet rolled out for his arrival ahead of his second summit with President Trump. TRUMP LANDS IN VIETNAM FOR KIM JONG UN SUMMIT As Kim stops to talk to Vietnamese officials who came to greet him, an aide is seen frantically dashing after the leader and catching up just as handshakes were being exchanged. The aide, who was identified as Kim’s interpreter, appeared flustered and worried after the arrival hiccup. TRUMP, KIM JONG UN'S VIETNAM SUMMIT JOINS LONG LIST OF KEY MOMENTS BETWEEN WORLD LEADERS: A TIMELINE South Korean media compared the interpreter to Usain Bolt after video of his desperate sprint to catch up with Kim went viral. Trump landed in Hanoi Tuesday night hours after Kim’s arrival. The leaders are set to meet on Wednesday and Thursday for the second U.S.-North Korea summit, where they are expected to discuss North Korea’s pledge to denuclearization that reached a stalemate since the June summit. North Korea has repeatedly said it will never give up its nuclear weapons unless the U.S. removed its nuclear threat first and lift sanctions crippling its economy. NORTH KOREA AND KIM JONG UN: MEET THE KNOWN KEY PLAYERS IN THE REGIME Several other topics are expected to come up during the two-day summit, including bringing back the rest of the remains of U.S. soldiers killed in the Korean War. North Korea turned over 55 boxes of presumed remains of U.S. soldiers killed in the Korean War as part of the agreement from the June summit. There’s also growing speculation that Trump may offer an announcement of peace and a formal end to the Korean War if he can convince Kim to commit to denuclearization. The Korean War ended in 1953 with an armistice, essentially a cease-fire signed by North Korea, China and the 17-nation, U.S.-led United Nations Command that was supposed to be replaced by a formal peace treaty. But both sides instead settled ever deeper into Cold War hostilities marked by occasional outbreaks of violence. Despite the few concrete outcomes from the first historic summit, North Korea has toned down its rhetoric — relatively — toward the U.S. There has not been a missile or nuclear test for more than a year and Kim said during his New Year's Day address that his country will no longer "create, test, use, or proliferate nuclear weapons." Trump also tweeted Monday before boarding Air Force One that he's "looking forward to a very productive summit." Kim departed Pyongyang on Saturday by train with several officials including Kim Yong Chol, who has been a key negotiator in talks with the U.S., and Kim Yo Jong, the leader's sister. The train that reportedly travels a speed of 35 miles per hour covered nearly 2,500 miles by the time it reached the railway station. Kim was greeted with a bouquet of flowers on a patterned red carpet lined with a Vietnamese honor guard and the five-pointed communist-starred flags of North Korea and Vietnam. He then switched to a black limousine for the final 105-mile drive to Hanoi. The despot’s entourage included his running bodyguards, who also made an appearance at the first U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore in June. The bodyguards surrounded Kim’s massive bulletproof Mercedes like a human shield as it traveled in Hanoi. Kim’s arrival also suffered another setback on Tuesday. KIM JONG UN'S TRAIN TRAVEL TO VIETNAM HIDDEN BY CHINESE CENSORS Just before the North Korean dictator’s motorcade arrived at the Hanoi’s Melia Hotel, the White House press corps was booted out of the luxury establishment and moved to a different building. Kim was coincidentally booked to stay at Melia hotel, where the White House also made accommodations for the American reporters, cameraman and photographers. The hotel was intended to be a filing center during the summit. The Vietnamese government then tweeted it will be moving the White House press corps to another hotel. "FYI: the American Media Center will be relocated from Melia hotel to International Media Center at 91 Tran Hung Dao Hanoi#DPRKUSA #HanoiSummit," the tweet read. CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News' Adam Shaw, Madeline Farber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.<doc-sep>For Kim, it’s possible that the international media attention is already a bit of a drag — and indeed, the Vietnamese government may be keen to limit press access, too. After it turned out that Kim was staying in the same hotel as the traveling press corps’ media center, the journalists were kicked out: The Post’s David Nakamura reported that a witness saw a North Korean official yell at the Vietnamese security staff, ordering them to stop journalists from photographing or even looking at Kim’s entourage.<doc-sep>
SEOUL, South Korea — It's unclear whether North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is going to give up his nukes anytime soon, and the same could probably be said for his cigarettes. Footage by Japan's TBS TV showed Kim, a habitual smoker, taking a pre-dawn cigarette break Tuesday at a train station in China hours before his arrival in Vietnam for his high-stakes summit with President Donald Trump over resolving the international standoff over the North's nuclear weapons and missiles. The video showed Kim puffing a cigarette and talking with North Korean officials at China's Nanning rail station. A woman who appeared to be his sister Kim Yo Jong, one of the most powerful individuals in North Korea, is seen holding a crystal ashtray. Also seen on the platform is Hyon Song Wol, a North Korean ruling party elite and the leader of the famous Moranbong girl band handpicked by Kim Jong Un. Hyon's inclusion in Kim's delegation has raised speculation that cultural events could be part of the agreements reached between Washington and Pyongyang this week as they look for easier steps to improve relations. Kim arrived in Vietnam on Tuesday after an almost 70-hour train ride that cut through southern China. While it remains unclear why Kim chose to travel thousands of miles through China instead of flying into Hanoi, some experts say he could have intended to showcase North Korea's ties with its major ally China, a crucial leverage in his negotiations with Trump. Kim, who has modeled his leadership style after his charismatic grandfather Kim Il Sung, also could have tried to inspire nostalgia among North Koreans about their state founder, who frequently traveled on trains. Despite pushing an anti-smoking campaign in North Korea, Kim is frequently seen with a cigarette in his hands. In July 2017, North Korea's state broadcaster showed him casually smoking in front of one of his liquid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles as it underwent preparations for a test launch. State media also showed Kim and North Korean officials laughing and lighting up cigarettes following the success of the North's last ICBM test in November 2017.