TBS-JNN
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un lights a cigarette at China's Nanning rail station on his way to Vietnam.
- Kim Jong Un was spotted smoking an early-morning cigarette during a break from his 2,000-mile train journey to meet Donald Trump in Vietnam.
- Japanese TV station TBS-FNN filmed North Korea's leader smoking at Nanning train station, China, just before dawn on Tuesday.
- He's seen smoking while talking to party official Hyon Song Wol. He is offered a crystal ashtray by his sister Kim Yo Jong.
- Kim arrived in Hanoi later that day for major talks with Trump. The journey took some 70 hours.
- Kim is a longtime smoker, often seen with a cigarette in hand on state TV, but has started an anti-smoking campaign in North Korea.
Covert TV coverage caught Kim Jong Un smoking an early-morning cigarette in rural China while taking a break from his epic train journey to a summit with Donald Trump in Vietnam.
The North Korean leader arrived there on Tuesday, ending a 2,000-mile, 2.5-day, train odyssey from Pyongyang to Dong Dang station.
Early on Tuesday morning, Japanese TV station TBS-JNN broadcast footage of Kim pacing around Nanning train station in southern China, lighting a cigarette with a match, and chatting to a political aide while smoking.
The Associated Press identified the aide as Hyon Song Wol. Kim's sister Kim Yo Jong is then seen on video holding out a crystal ashtray for him.
The reason Kim chose take a train to his second summit with Trump is unclear.
TBS-FNN
The North Korean leader's sister, Kim Yo Jong, hold a crystal ashtray out for him.
One analyst said it was likely to save face, because Kim didn't want to ask China to lend him a plane. Kim borrowed a Chinese plane for the 2018 summit with Trump in Singapore, which attracted commentary on his reliance on Beijing.
Another explanation was that the journey through China's eastern regions is meant to signify North Korea's close relationship with China.
TBS-JNN
Kim smokes at Nanning train station on Tuesday morning.
Kim is a heavy smoker, and is often seen on state TV with a cigarette in hand, despite pushing an anti-smoking campaign in North Korea, the Associated Press reported.
Kim reportedly abstained from nicotine while meeting South Korean leader Moon Jae-in April 2017 out of respect for the South Korean president.
orea Summit Press Pool/Pool via Reuters
Kim meets South Korean President Moon Sae-in in April 2017 at the border.