Kim Jong Un met with Lee Hsien Loong ahead of Donald Trump's arrival in Singapore. Rough cut (no reporter narration) </s> SINGAPORE: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana on Sunday (Jun 10), two days before a planned summit with United States President Donald Trump.

"The entire world is focusing on the historic summit between the DPRK and the US, and thanks to your sincere efforts ... we were able to complete the preparations for the historic summit, and I would like to thank you for that," Mr Kim, speaking through an interpreter, told PM Lee.



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"I have the expectation that this (summit) will be very successful."

During the meeting, Mr Lee and Mr Kim discussed Singapore-North Korea relations, as well as developments in the North and the region.

Mr Lee complimented the bold and admirable decision by Mr Kim and US President Trump to come together for Tuesday's summit.

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Mr Lee also wished Mr Kim success for the summit and expressed hope that the meeting will advance the prospects for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the larger region.

"We discussed developments in the Korean Peninsula, as well as in the region," said Mr Lee in a Facebook post. "I complimented him on his decision to meet President Trump, and wished him a successful summit and a good stay in Singapore."





The meeting took place less than four hours after Mr Kim touched down at the Changi Airport, where he was received by Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung.

Mr Kim's motorcade left Changi Aiport accompanied by traffic police escorts as it headed for the St Regis Hotel, where he is expected to stay.

Kim Jong Un landed in Singapore on Sunday afternoon (Jun 10).

Mr Trump is staying at the Shangri-La Hotel, which is also in the Tanglin area within Singapore’s city centre.



Motorcade for Kim Jong Un arrives at St Regis Hotel in downtown Singapore. #TrumpKimSummit https://t.co/dw8NVVcNEs pic.twitter.com/bdtI68Alzg — CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) June 10, 2018

The two leaders are to meet on Tuesday at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island where talks on denuclearisation of North Korea in exchange for economic help will be on the table.

Both Sentosa and the Tanglin area have been designated special event areas by the police and security has been tightened at both places.

Last week, Singapore authorities also warned travellers arriving at and departing from Singapore to expect flight delays as airspace will be restricted from Sunday to Thursday.

More than 2,500 journalists have descended on Singapore to cover the event, and will be based at a media centre at the F1 pit building.

The unprecedented meeting, the first time a sitting US president meets a North Korean leader, was nearly called off just two weeks before the event.

Watch our comprehensive coverage of the Trump-Kim summit live on YouTube from 7am on Tuesday (Jun 12). Subscribe to our channel here.

You can also watch the livestream, and read updates at www.channelnewsasia.com/trumpkimsummit. </s> US President Donald Trump will today hold a meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, ahead of the historic US-North Korea summit on Tuesday. The meeting between the two leaders will be followed by expanded bilateral meetings and a working lunch.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that the President, Secretary of State, White House Chief of Staff, and National Security Adviser have arrived in Singapore for the June 12 summit. Today, Sung Kim, a former US ambassador to South Korea and former nuclear negotiator with the North, will lead a US delegation for a working group with a North Korean delegation at the Ritz Carlton hotel, Sanders said.

“We are also planning a briefing by senior administration officials in the filing centre at the JW Marriott tentatively scheduled for 5pm local time,” she said in the briefing note issued in Washington yesterday.

During the flight, the President spent time meeting with his staff, reading materials, and preparing for his meetings in Singapore. Chairman Kim on Sunday held a meeting with Prime Minister Lee. He thanked Singapore’s organisation of the summit as if it was “their own family affair”.

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as the summit and the recent positive developments on the Korean peninsula. Lee complimented the bold and admirable decision by Kim and Trump to come together for the Summit.

Prime Minister Lee wished Kim a success for the summit and expressed hope that the US-DPRK meeting will advance the prospects for peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the larger region. Singapore is one of the few countries that have diplomatic relations with both the US and North Korea.

Trump and Kim are set to meet on Tuesday at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa for talks which could see North Korea dismantle its nuclear arsenal in return for economic help and security guarantees. The summit will be the first meeting between Trump and Kim and mark a turnaround of relations between the two leaders after a long-running exchange of furious threats and insults.

The two leaders have had an extraordinary up-and-down relationship over the past 18 months. Some 2,500 journalists are reporting on the event, which is costing Singapore government about SGD 20 million.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> US President Donald Trump will today hold a meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, ahead of the historic US-North Korea summit tomorrow.

The meeting between the two leaders will be followed by expanded bilateral meetings and a working lunch.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that the President, Secretary of State, White House Chief of Staff, and National Security Adviser have arrived in Singapore for the June 12 summit.

Today, Sung Kim, a former US ambassador to South Korea and former nuclear negotiator with the North, will lead a US delegation for a working group with a North Korean delegation at the Ritz Carlton hotel, Sanders said.

"We are also planning a briefing by senior administration officials in the filing centre at the JW Marriott tentatively scheduled for 5pm local time," she said in the briefing note issued in Washington yesterday.

During the flight, the President spent time meeting with his staff, reading materials, and preparing for his meetings in Singapore.

He thanked Singapore's organisation of the summit as if it was "their own family affair".

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as the summit and the recent positive developments on the Korean peninsula.

Lee complimented the bold and admirable decision by Kim and Trump to come together for the Summit.

Prime Minister Lee wished Kim a success for the summit and expressed hope that the US-DPRK meeting will advance the prospects for peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the larger region.

Singapore is one of the few countries that have diplomatic relations with both the US and North Korea.

Trump and Kim are set to meet on Tuesday at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa for talks which could see North Korea dismantle its nuclear arsenal in return for economic help and security guarantees.

The summit will be the first meeting between Trump and Kim and mark a turnaround of relations between the two leaders after a long-running exchange of furious threats and insults.

The two leaders have had an extraordinary up-and-down relationship over the past 18 months.

Some 2,500 journalists are reporting on the event, which is costing Singapore government about SGD 20 million. </s> The two leaders will initially meet alone, with only translators, away from the prying eyes of the world. Picture: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

The two leaders will initially meet alone, with only translators, away from the prying eyes of the world. Picture: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon

DONALD Trump and Kim Jong-un were never going to have a conventional meeting, but the headstrong pair have already dropped some bombshells as they prepare for their summit.

The two leaders will appear for a much-anticipated greeting in front of the media on Tuesday at 9am in Singapore (11am AEST), but the photo op will be followed by an hour-long, one-on-one meeting with only their translators.

It's an unusual and frustrating move for a world hanging on every detail of their interaction, and has caused fears among security experts of a he-said-she-said scenario.

The intimate tete-a-tete at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island will then give way to a bilateral meeting with top officials from both countries, followed by a working lunch with an even larger group.

In another unexpected twist, the US President revealed on the eve of the summit that he will leave Singapore a day earlier than planned, after nuclear negotiations moved "more quickly than expected."

The pair had not even met when he made the announcement, although US and North Korean officials spent Monday setting goals and possible outcomes at the Ritz Carlton hotel.

Mr Trump will participate in a media briefing after the summit before departing in the evening for the United States.

On Monday evening, Kim left his luxury St Regis hotel for the first time since he met the city-state's prime minister Lee Hsien Loong after his arrival on Sunday. The North Korean leader - who rarely travels - was surrounded by security guards, a media scrum and cheering crowds as he embarked on an evening tour of attractions on the city's waterfront.

Kim's motorcade headed to the world-famous Marina Bay Sands Hotel, before he and his sister Kim Yo-jong visited the Esplanade, Jubilee Bridge and the Gardens by the Bay, where the reclusive leader posed for selfies with Singaporean government officials.

Mr Trump met with Mr Lee on Monday and attended a working lunch, telling the Singaporean PM: "We've got a very interesting meeting in particular tomorrow, and I think things can work out very nicely."

The US President was presented with an early birthday cake and blew out the candles ahead of his 72nd on June 14, before returning to the Shangri-La Hotel to work.

The US delegation at the larger meeting on Tuesday will include Mr Pompeo, Chief of Staff John Kelly, and National Security Advisor John Bolton.

Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, Ambassador Sung Kim, and National Security Council Senior Director for Asia Matt Pottinger will attend the working lunch.

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman arrived in Singapore at around midnight, hours before Tuesday morning's summit. The White House said he would play no official role in negotiations, but the athlete has promised to "give whatever support is needed" to his "friends" Mr Trump and Kim.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier seemed to play down expectations for the meeting, which Mr Trump had predicted could yield an instant end to the Korean War.

Mr Trump called the leaders of South Korea and Japan in advance of the summit but South Korean President Moon Jae-in would have to be present if a declaration ending the conflict was to be signed, and he has no current plans to join Mr Trump and Kim.

Mr Pompeo suggested the summit might have little concrete success other than to pave the way for further meetings.

The Secretary of State told reporters the US was prepared to take action to provide North Korea with "sufficient certainty" that denuclearisation "is not something that ends badly for them."

He would not say whether that included the possibility of withdrawing troops from the Korean Peninsula, but stressed the discussions were "radically different than ever before"

He said the US was "prepared to take what will be security assurances that are different, unique, than America's been willing to provide previously."

Mr Trump has already made it clear the summit is a "one-time shot" and said he would know within minutes of meeting Kim whether an agreement was going to be reached or not. But he also said the summit would be part of a "process".

He told reporters he hadn't prepared "very much" because, "I will know, just my touch, my feel. That's what I do."

Asked on Saturday about his aims, he said: "Well, I think the minimum would be relationship. You would start at least a dialogue, because, you know, as a deal person, I have done very well with deals."

The North has faced crippling international sanctions as it has developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

There is deep scepticism over whether Kim will easily abandon his nuclear weapons program, but experts hope diplomacy can replace the animosity between the US and the Hermit Kingdom.

With the summit already dramatically cancelled and reinstated, anything appears to be possible from this clash of two unpredictable men.

Mr Trump also made an unexpected exit from the Group of 7 meeting in Canada, insulting host Justin Trudeau and removing the US from the group statement. </s> North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump have arrived at the summit venue Singapore. The historic first meeting of the two leaders will discuss a peace treaty and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Kim arrived first at the Capella Resort, on Singapore’s Sentosa Island, shortly before 9 am local time. He ignored the cameras, walking into the hotel with eyeglasses in hand. Trump followed a few minutes later, turning to face the cameras with a carefully neutral expression before he entered the venue.

The historic handshake of the two leaders before a row of US and North Korean flags took place at 9:04. Trump smiled and patted Kim on the back, ushering him towards the conference room. Trump said earlier he would know whether the summit would succeed within the first few minutes of meeting with Kim.

“We will have a great relationship, I have no doubt,” Trump said in a brief photo-op.

“Past practices and prejudices were obstacles on our way forward, but we overcame all of them and are here today,” Kim said. “That’s true,” quipped Trump.

The two are scheduled to meet for two hours in private, accompanied only by their translators. </s> Singapore's PM Lee Hsien Loong surprised U.S. President Donald Trump with a birthday cake a day before the historic summit between North Korea and the United States. </s> Singapore - President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un converged on this island city-state Sunday ahead of one of the most unusual and highly anticipated summits in recent world history, a Tuesday sit-down meant to settle a standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal.

Trump descended from Air Force One into the steamy Singapore night, greeting officials and declaring he felt "very good," before he was whisked away to his hotel, driving along a route lined with police and photo snapping onlookers. Trump traveled to Singapore from Canada, where he attended a meeting of the Group of Seven Nations.

Hours earlier, a jet carrying Kim landed. After shaking hands with the Singapore foreign minister, Kim sped through the city's streets in a massive limousine, two large North Korean flags fluttering on the hood, surrounded by other black vehicles with tinted windows and bound for the luxurious and closely guarded St. Regis Hotel.

Kim smiled broadly Sunday evening as he met with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

"The entire world is watching the historic summit between (North Korea) and the United States of America, and thanks to your sincere efforts ... we were able to complete the preparations for the historic summit," Kim told Lee through an interpreter.

Trump is set to meet with Lee on Monday.

Trump has said he hopes to win a legacy-making deal with the North to give up their nuclear weapons, though he has recently sought to manage expectations, saying that it may take more than one meeting.

The North, many experts believe, stands on the brink of being able to target the entire US mainland with its nuclear-armed missiles, and while there's deep skepticism that Kim will quickly give up those hard-won nukes, there's also some hope that diplomacy can replace the animosity between the US and the North.

This will be the first summit of its kind between a leader of North Korea and a sitting US president. The North has faced crippling diplomatic and economic sanctions as it has advanced development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The North Korean autocrat's every move will be followed by 3,000 journalists who have converged on Singapore, and by gawkers around the world, up until he shakes hands with Trump on Tuesday. It's a reflection of the intense global curiosity over Kim's sudden turn to diplomacy in recent months after a slew of North Korean nuclear and missile tests last year raised serious fears of war.

Part of the interest in Tuesday's summit is simply because Kim has had such limited appearances on the world stage. He has only publicly left his country three times since taking power after his father's death in late 2011 - twice traveling to China and once across his shared border with the South to the southern part of the Demilitarised Zone in recent summits with the leaders of China and South Korea respectively.

But it's Kim's pursuit of nuclear weapons that gives his meeting with Trump such high stakes. The meeting was initially meant to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons, but the talks have been portrayed by Trump in recent days more as a get-to-know-you session. Trump has also raised the possibility of further summits and an agreement ending the Korean War by replacing the armistice signed in 1953 with a peace treaty. China and South Korea would have to sign off on any legal treaty.

It's unclear what Trump and Kim might decide on Tuesday.

Pyongyang has said it is willing to deal away its entire nuclear arsenal if the United States provides it with a reliable security assurance and other benefits. But many say this is highly unlikely, given how hard it has been for Kim to build his program and that the weapons are seen as the major guarantee to holding onto his unchecked power.

Any nuclear deal will hinge on North Korea's willingness to allow unfettered outside inspections of the country's warheads and nuclear fuel, much of which is likely kept in a vast complex of underground facilities. Past nuclear deals have crumbled over North Korea's reluctance to open its doors to outsiders.

Another possibility from the summit is a deal to end the Korean War, which North Korea has long demanded, presumably, in part, to get US troops off the Korean Peninsula and, eventually, pave the way for a North Korean-led unified Korea.

The fighting ended on July 27, 1953, but the war technically continues today because instead of a difficult-to-negotiate peace treaty, military officers for the US-led United Nations, North Korea and China signed an armistice that halted the fighting. The North may see a treaty - and its presumed safety assurances from Washington - as its best way of preserving the Kim family dynasty. The ensuing recognition as a "normal country" could then allow sanctions relief, and later international aid and investment.

Just meeting with Trump will also give Kim a recognition North Korea has long sought, setting him up as global player and equal to the US domestically and, internationally, as the leader of a "normal country" worthy of respect. </s> SINGAPORE (AP) — The small island nation of Singapore, which prides itself on law and order, is feeling the pressure of more than 3,000 members of the press arriving for a historic summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The heavy media presence along with stringent security measures for the summit Tuesday has added to the frenzy unusual for the laid-back tropical state.

For over a week, journalists have been staking out Singapore’s luxury hotels, airports and government buildings to catch a glimpse of officials involved in summit preparations.

Unruly ones have already crossed red lines. Police said Friday they arrested two South Korean journalists from the national broadcaster KBS suspected of trespassing in the residence of the North Korean ambassador.
Kim Jong-un meets with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shortly after his arrival.