Kim Arrives In Singapore As Historic Summit With Trump Nears

RFE/RL June 10, 2018

Singapore's Foreign Ministry says North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has arrived in the country for an upcoming June 12 summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.

"Welcomed Chairman Kim Jong Un, who has just arrived in Singapore," Vivian Balakrishnan said on Twitter, with a picture of him shaking hands with Kim wearing glasses and a dark Maoist suit.

Kim is scheduled to meet Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong later on June 10, the country's Foreign Ministry said.

Meanwhile, Trump has left the Group of Seven summit in Quebec, Canada, on his way to Singapore.

He is set to meet with Lee on June 11 after his arrival late on June 10 at Singapore's Paya Lebar Air Base.

Discussions between Trump and Kim are scheduled for June 12, focusing on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

Trump said the summit is a "onetime" chance for North Korea, adding, "but I feel really confident."

Trump said he would know "within a minute" if Kim was serious about giving up his nuclear weapons. He added that U.S. and North Korean officials have been working together in Singapore to prepare for the meeting.

Trump's delegation includes Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John Bolton, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, and White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

This will be only the second known overseas trip for Kim since he became the reclusive country's leader in 2011. He traveled on an Ilyushin-62M for his May trip to China.

Singapore's Straits Times newspaper reported that refrigerator trucks will be waiting at Changi Airport to receive the North Korean cargo flight. It said the plane is believed to be carrying food items as well as several luxury cars for the North Korean leader's use.

An Air China Airbus 330 believed to be carrying part of the North Korean delegation arrived on June 9.

Neutral Singapore is known for its tight security and has hosted high-profile international meetings in the past, including many ASEAN summits.

It is considered one of the safest countries in the world and is one of some 48 countries where North Korea has an embassy.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/trump-kim-singapore-summit -lee-meeting-nuclear-weapons/29281794.html

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