Thread by @vicjkim

This is pretty remarkable. The Korean Central News Agency, North Korea's state-run news outlet, has announced Kim Jong Un left the country and arrived in Singapore, and flew on a Chinese plane. kcna.kp (link isn't always reliable) #trumpkimsummit #singaporesummit

As of yesterday, KCNA had no substantive reports about the US-NK summit in Singapore since May 24. The rest of the world breathlessly reported summit was cancelled, then back on. From KCNA, nada.

The top story for over the weekend remained Kim Jong Un's visit to a snazzy new seafood restaurant in Pyongyang. There were reports on Singapore's foreign minister visiting NK, no reason was given. latimes.com/world/asia/la-…

This AM, looks like KCNA had a report of KJU's departure for the US-NK summit, arrival, meeting with Singaporean PM, roughly 12 hours after it happened. As far as KCNA's concerned, that's breakneck speed. Usually, they take time with their propaganda.

KCNA: "Kim Jong Un, the respected Supreme Leader of the party, the state and the army of the DPRK, and Donald J. Trump, president of the United States of America, are to be held on the morning of June 12."

They even included Trump's middle initial in the Korean-language report, "도날드 제이.트럼프"

The English version could use some edits: "Wide-ranging and profound views on the issue of establishing new DPRK-U.S. relations, the issue of building a permanent and durable peace-keeping mechanism on the Korean Peninsula, the issue of realizing the denuclearization (1/2)

of the Korean peninsula and other issues of mutual concern, as required by the changed era, will be exchanged at the DPRK-U.S. summit talks to be held for the first time in history under the great attention and expectation of the whole world." (2/2)

Here's the list they gave of his entourage:

Kim Yong Chol and Ri Su Yong, party central committee
Ri Yong Ho, foreign minister,
No Kwang Cho, People's Armed Forces
Kim Yo Jong, party central committee, Kim's sister
Choe Son Hui, vice foreign minister

The KCNA press corps traveling with Kim have been documenting his every move, filming while poking out of a sunroof in his motorcade and snapping photos as he walks. Not exactly free and independent -- they were all wearing red pins with Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il's faces.

What the average North Korean actually knows and thinks about the summit and KJU will be hard to know, and certainly can't be gleaned from KCNA. Seoul-based @The_Daily_NK, with sources inside, said there seemed to be increased crackdown and sensitivity to reactions to the summit

For fun, from the seafood restaurant story: "Seeing sturgeon, salmon, rainbow-trout and other fishes of higher quality swimming in indoor ponds ... he said that the people would be pleased when they are served with cooked and processed tasty and nutritious, fresh seafood."

(I take it "processed foods" means something different in North Korea.)