Three places shortlisted for NK-US summit

Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, which is one of the candidate venues for the summit between
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un slated for June 12. / Yonhap

Three places seem to be on the shortlist for the historic summit between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un slated for June 12 in Singapore.

Officials from the two nations, including North Korea’s Kim Chang-son, chief secretary of the National Defense Commission Secretariat, and Joe Hagin, White House deputy chief of staff for operations, have been visiting several hotels and locations in Singapore since Wednesday in search of places that can provide the best security and convenience for the summit and accommodation for the two leaders.

The American advance team led by Hagin visited the Shangri-La Hotel on Wednesday afternoon, according to Singaporean local media.

The Shangri-La has always been the top candidate, as the luxury hotel has hosted many international conferences and thus has accumulated knowhow on security and meeting operations.

The hotel was earlier used for the summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and then-Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou in 2015, the first bilateral talks between leaders of China and Taiwan. It is also the meeting place for the annual Asia Security Summit: the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, with this year’s event scheduled for June 1 to 3.

On the same day, Kim Chang-son and Hagin had talks for nearly five hours at the Capella Resort, where the American advance team has been staying. It is possible that they just talked about security and protocol issues in general there, or checked whether the resort on Sentosa Island would be suitable for the summit or for lodging for one of the leaders.

It was said Kim was checking the facilities of the resort on a golf cart.

But sources say the Singaporean government may oppose the resort being used for the summit because many tourist facilities on the island may have to close around the day of the summit for security reasons.

The Singaporean presidential palace, also known as the Istana, has also been mentioned as a likely location because it can provide higher-level security than those private hotels.

But a former Singaporean diplomat told a local daily that the Istana was not suitable, saying the country has no reason to allow foreign security guards to enter and check all over the presidential office where the country’s leaders work.

The Fullerton Hotel, where the North Korean delegation is staying, can also be used as Kim Jong-un’s accommodation.

Another hotel or convention center will be a press center for international journalists who will flock to Singapore to cover the historic summit. The Singaporean government expects more than 2,000 to come, including about 100 from NHK and 80 from the BBC.

Source:koreatimes.co.kr