An April 27 summit between South Korean President Moon Jae In and Kim is expected to be held at the truce village of Panmunjom on the border between the two countries. But analysts speculate that Trump may prefer to hold his meeting with Kim in Switzerland, Iceland or even Sweden, according to the Business Insider.
"We used to make fun of what they have — it's old stuff," Sue Mi Terry, who served as a senior CIA analyst on Korean issues during the George W Bush administration, told The Washington Post. "We would joke about their old Soviet planes."
Joseph Bermudez, an analyst with 38 North, went even further, suggesting North Korea doesn't "have an aircraft that can fly across the Pacific."
If Pyongyang's plane ends up having to stop somewhere for refueling purposes, it will reveal the country's aviation as behind the times, The Independent reported. Worse, the publication also suggested that finding a spot to load up on gas would itself be troublesome, as many countries have sanctioned North Korea.
But there's always the option of getting a lift, another pointed out… though it may come at a cost.
"In terms of his traveling anywhere, it would not be a problem — the South Koreans or the Swedes would give him a ride," Victor Cha, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told the Post, before stating that "it would be embarrassing."
Though many were quick to criticize North Korea's aircraft, others stated that Kim would have no issues traveling abroad since Air Koryo, the country's state-owned airlines, houses two Tupolev Tu-204 jets, which are similar to the Boeing 757.
As they typically do, netizens also chimed in with their own opinions.
— Ben Crystal (@Bennettruth) April 10, 2018
— Bird's Eye View (@The_Patriot_V) April 10, 2018
— Notta Democrat (@Notta_Democrat) April 10, 2018
— John Brubaker (@CoachBru) April 10, 2018
The exact date and location of the Trump-Kim meeting has yet to be agreed upon. It has been reported that a meeting could take place in late April or early May.
Kim's visit to Beijing in March marked his first known journey outside of North Korea since he took office in 2011.
