North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Singapore ahead of an historic summit with US President Donald Trump Sunday, as Trump declared that the young dictator had a "one-time shot" to bring his country in from the cold.
Kim was greeted at Singapore's Changi airport by Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, reports the CNN.
According to images released by the Singaporean government, Kim arrived on an Air China plane with Kim Yong Chol, who earlier this month met with President Trump to hand deliver a letter from Kim.
He is due to meet with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong later Sunday. Lee will have a separate meeting with Trump on Monday.
Around 20 North Korean guards -- distinguishable by red loyalty badges -- had earlier taken up positions, some on upper floors overlooking the hotel's lobby.
Together with Singaporean police officers and hotel staff they created a human shield around the entrance blocking Kim's arrival from view. Strict security saw hotel guests banned from holding phones or bags and told to remain seated.
When he arrived at around 3:40 p.m. local time (3:40 p.m. ET), Kim went straight to the hotel's elevators without acknowledging the crowd.
A procession of North Korean officials -- including his younger sister Kim Yo Jong -- arrived shortly afterward.
While Trump spoke positively about his upcoming meeting with Kim, he was vague on the details of what they might actually achieve.
"I feel that Kim Jong Un wants to do something great for his people," Trump told reporters at a press conference in Canada before departing the G7 summit. "And he has that opportunity, and he won't have that opportunity again."
Trump also speculated that the summit might not work out. He would know, he told reporters, very early on in meeting Kim, if it would.
Sources told CNN that US officials have established a contingency plan for a potential second day of discussions between Trump and Kim depending on the direction of their planned meeting on June 12.
The cost of the summit for Singapore was some $15 million, Singapore Prime Minister Lee told reporters Sunday at the media center the city-state had constructed to deal with the enormous international demand.
BDST: 1710 HRS, JUNE 10, 2018
AP
