Kim's enjoying him-selfie! North Korean leader's late-night sightseeing trip
Reclusive North Korean leader Kim Jong-un went on an evening tour of Singapore on Monday, posing with city-state officials at a tropical garden before visiting an infinity pool atop a landmark waterfront hotel, to the surprise of guests.
Kim spent much of the day out of public view, sparking media speculation he was planning his strategy for the Tuesday summit with Trump. But in the evening, he left the St Regis hotel and visited the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.
The foreign minister posted a selfie of him and a smiling Kim wearing his trademark dark Mao suit on Facebook.
Flanked by bodyguards, Kim also visited the Marina Bay Sands resort.
South Korean media reported that Kim was accompanied by his sister, Kim Yo-Jong, and other top deputies.
Some experts said Kim’s city tour suggests that North Korea and the US had narrowed their differences ahead of the summit. Earlier Monday, senior diplomats from the two countries met at a hotel to make final preparations for the summit.
The historic meeting is the first sitting between a US president and a North Korean leader since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.
Kim has offered to deal away his nuclear arsenal but doubts remain over whether he is truly willing to give up his nukes or is using the summit to weaken US-led sanctions against his country.
Celebrating birthday, a bit early. pic.twitter.com/laVLNs7J2j
— Vivian Balakrishnan (@VivianBala) June 11, 2018
The White House announced Monday that Trump will leave Singapore earlier than originally planned, saying negotiations with North Korea have moved “more quickly than expected.”
Trump had been scheduled to fly back to Washington on Wednesday morning after spending Tuesday with Kim. But the White House said he will instead leave at about 8pm on Tuesday – almost 15 hours earlier.
Bloomberg later reported that this was due to Kim setting a deadline for the summit to end.
Citing two US officials familiar with the planning, Bloomberg said Trump had been willing to stay longer if negotiations were progressing, but since Kim set definite plans for departure, so did Trump.
Former NBA star Dennis Rodman arrives for summit
Former National Basketball Association star Dennis Rodman arrived in Singapore late on Monday for the summit saying he was “excited to be part of it”.
Dennis Rodman lands in Singapore ahead of Trump-Kim summit
“It should go fairly well, but people should not expect so much for the first time,” Rodman told reporters at the airport.
“The doors are opening.”
Rodman has faced ridicule and criticism for his trips to North Korea, which some US politicians and activists view as serving only as fodder for North Korean propaganda.
Before Trump became president, Rodman appeared twice on his “Celebrity Apprentice” show and praised the billionaire real estate developer on Twitter during the 2016 presidential campaign.
