(US-NK summit) Eyes on possible rendezvous between U.S.-N.K. first ladies in Hanoi

SEOUL, Feb. 20 (Yonhap) -- With a second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un just a week away, the question of whether their spouses will attend the event and meet each other for the first time ever has drawn keen interest.

During the first summit held in Singapore in June last year, U.S. First Lady Melania Trump and her North Korean counterpart, Ri Sol-ju, did not accompany their husbands.

The U.S. first lady skipped the event due to a health issue, which appeared to have prompted Ri to do the same in accordance with diplomatic courtesy.

It is yet to be known if the first ladies will fly to Hanoi, Vietnam, along with their husbands this time for the second summit, slated for Feb. 27-28.

But chances are high that events involving the two women could take place during the summit, as the Hanoi meeting is planned to be held over two days, which helps reduce possible time constraints, according to experts. The Singapore summit took place in a single day.

If they meet, it will mark another historic moment, as no first ladies of the U.S. and North Korea have ever gotten together before.

"A joint public engagement between them would soften the atmosphere at the venue, which would otherwise be dominated by hard power politik," Ahn Chan-il, from the World Institute for North Korea Studies, said.

Ri has expanded her diplomatic presence on the global stage since last year.

She was seen alongside Kim when he visited Beijing and met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The first lady also shared an amicable bond with her South Korean counterpart, Kim Jung-sook, when meeting during the two rounds of inter-Korean summits.

"Such a growing public profile is widely seen as Kim's strategy to remake his country's long-held image of a hermit kingdom and to demonstrate himself as a leader from a normal state," Ahn noted.

graceoh@yna.co.kr
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