Dong Dang, Vietnam - A jovial North Korean leader Kim Jong Un grinned and waved as he walked the red carpet from a Vietnamese rail station Tuesday, as flag-waving children and white-uniformed honour guards greeted him after a marathon two-and-a-half-day rail journey across China.

Five suspects linked to a highly publicised murder-dismemberment case were smiling as they turned up at Khon Kaen Provincial Court for their pre-trial court appearance on Wednesday.