Despite the sensational headlines, this story does not seem very well sourced:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the execution by firing squad of four foreign ministry officials after the failure of his Hanoi summit with Donald Trump, a report has claimed. The officials were reportedly executed after the February talks between North Koreaand the US came to an end without any deal being made. Pyongyang had accused the four officials of selling information to Washington before the Hanoi summit, according to a Japanese news agency. The executions, which included a diplomat from North Korea’s embassy in Hanoi, have not been verified.
Asia Press claimed its reporter spoke to a trade official who was told the rumour about the executions. It is claimed that the executions were watched by members of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea and Korean People’s Army.
ROK cable network MBN's bureau chief on disciplinary action after station misreported FLOROK Kim Jung-sook as "First Lady Kim Jong Un," "North Korean president (instead of "President Moon") has message for KJU from President Trump." https://t.co/kq9pyOA3RC
It looks like everything went as expected for the Kim-Putin summit in Vladivostok:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Thursday highlighted his “unwavering” will to cement ties with Russia while President Vladimir Putin made an emphatic call for a peaceful resolution of Pyongyang’s nuclear quandary. The leaders held their first summit in Russia’s Far Eastern city of Vladivostok amid Pyongyang’s stalled nuclear negotiations with Washington. The much-anticipated summit was seen as a key test of Kim’s diplomatic outreach aimed at breaking the logjam in the parley with the United States, easing sanctions pressure and catalyzing his lackluster drive for economic development. “I had candid, meaningful talks with President Putin on the issues of developing the friendly relationship between North Korea and Russia, of guaranteeing peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and in the region, and common international issues,” Kim said during a dinner session after the summit that lasted for around three hours. (……)
During a press conference, Putin stressed the need for an “international” security guarantee for the North as part of efforts toward denuclearization and a lasting peace on the peninsula. He also said that multilateral talks on the North’s denuclearization, including long-stalled six-party dialogue, ought to resume if a need arises.
You can read more at the link, but Putin talking about how there needs to be an international security guarantee for the North to denuclearize I believe is code for withdrawal of USFK.
Kim Yong Chol, NK's top negotiator with the US, and Ri Su Yong, head of the party's International Department, not going to Russia with Kim Jong Un. First time for Kim or Ri to skip out on the leader's foreign trip.
Kim-Putin summitWorkers hang the North Korean and Russian flags on a road leading to the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia, on April 23, 2019. The school is widely believed to be the venue for an upcoming summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Yonhap)
These two have much to discuss on how they plan to avoid international sanctions against North Korea:
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un emerges from his private train upon arriving at the Russian border city of Khasan, Wednesday morning. Russian government officials welcomed him there. After staying for an hour at the station, he resumed his trip to Vladivostok where he is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Yonhap
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrived in Vladivostok on his personal train, Wednesday, for a high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia gave a red-carpet welcome for Kim at the train station in the Russian Far Eastern city amid tight security.
En route to Vladivostok, Kim’s train stopped at Khasan near the border between the two countries at around 9:40 a.m. (KST).
Russian government officials greeted the North Korean leader with flowers, salt and bread, as part of a local tradition to welcome guests. Local media outlets reported that Kim said he would visit Russia again in the future.
Kim stayed at the station for about an hour before resuming his journey to Vladivostok.
So much for the hotline for the two leaders to contact each other, instead President Moon needs a one-on-one meeting with Kim Jong-un:
President Moon Jae-in could deliver a message from U.S. President Donald Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un if a new inter-Korean summit takes place, a presidential official said Sunday. CNN reported earlier, citing unidentified sources, that Moon has a message from Trump to relay to the North’s leader. Moon met with Trump at the White House earlier this month to discuss ways to get the stalled denuclearization talks between Washington and Pyongyang moving again. “If an inter-Korean summit takes place, a related message could be delivered” to the North’s leader, the presidential official told reporters, when asked to comment on the CNN report. The official did not elaborate on the content of the message.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversees flight drills of combat pilots of Unit 1017 of the Air and Anti-aircraft Force of the Korean People‘s Army on Apr. 16, as reported by Korean Central Television (KCTV) on Apr. 17. (Yonhap News)
NK leader inspects fish farmNorth Korean leader Kim Jong-un (crouching) feeds fish during a visit to the Sinchang Fish Farm in South Pyongan Province on April 16, 2019, in this photo captured from the North’s Korean Central TV. (For Use Only in the Republic of Korea. No Redistribution) (Yonhap)
