North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is reported to have used his own private jet to fly to Dalian for his meeting this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping.<br />Could his decision to fly to China mean that Kim is preparing for what may be a North Korea-U.S. summit in Singapore? <br />Lee Seung-jae has the details. <br /> A different venue, and a different mode of transportation for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on his second trip to China in just over a month.<br /><br /> " Our Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un left Pyongyang on the morning of May 7th via private jet." <br /><br /> Kim, who's known to take his private jet during trips around North Korea, made his first trip by air outside the country. <br />The distance between Pyongyang and Dalian is a mere 360-kilometers,... but experts believe the decision to go by plane was more about him just wanting to get there quicker than he would have by car or train.<br />Watchers say Kim may be preparing for his upcoming meeting with President Trump,... with reports signaling the summit could be held in Singapore.<br /> With North Korea's airplane technology limited to Soviet-era planes,... many question whether his private jet is actually capable of flying over four-thousand kilometers to Singapore. <br />Stopping halfway to refuel could also prove embarrassing, by showing the limits of the aircraft,... and where to stop would also be tricky.<br /> Others say the recent trip isn't a test of the jet's capability,... but to further show his image as a leader,... and to craft a different image to that of his late father Kim Jong-il... who was known to be afraid of flying. <br />In recent years, Kim Jong-un has staged a series of photo-ops designed to show that not only does he not share his father's fear of flying,... but that he's even a pilot.<br /> Dubbed "Air Force-Un" by many,... will Kim's aging personal jet be able to make it all the way to Singapore?<br />Some say that should be the least of his worries as he prepares for his big meeting with President Trump;... a summit where the stakes for both sides couldn't be higher.<br />Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News <br />
