North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will fly directly on a foreign plane from Pyongyang to Singapore for his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump next week. Talks are underway to use an aircraft provided by Singapore or China.

A diplomatic source in Seoul said, "North Korea originally considered a refueling stop in China, but chose to fly straight to Singapore. There was some trepidation about flying the 4,800 km distance aboard Kim Jong-un's own aging plane, so a third country is expected to supply it."

Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan visited North Korea on Thursday to discuss the matter.

Kim's personal plane is a modified Ilyushin IL-62 from the Soviet Union and has never gone on a long-distance flight. North Korea apparently wants the same type of plane as Trump's Air Force One.

Kim will be accompanied by his sister Yo-jong.

