Who or the US paid for Kim Jong-un's hotel in Singapore?
(Baonghean.vn) - On June 4, an anti-nuclear group that won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize proposed to pay for the costs of the historic summit between the US and North Korean leaders, including the sensitive issue of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's hotel bill.
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| ICAN proposes to pay for the historic summit between the US and North Korean leaders. Photo: Getty |
Who will pay for Kim Jong-un's stay at the five-star Fullerton Hotel is one of many logistical and protocol headaches surrounding next week's summit between Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.
Last week, the Washington Post wrote that the US is willing to pay for this but is concerned about a North Korea that is materially poor but overconfident.
Faced with the thorny issue, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) expressed its willingness to help resolve the impasse, by using part of the $1.1 million reward it received last year to pay for the North Korean delegation.
“We are willing to shoulder some of the costs of the summit, including accommodation and venue costs,” said Akira Kawasaki, ICAN’s representative in Japan. “If the summit fails due to financial problems, we are willing to shoulder the costs, as this is an important and historic summit.”
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| Logistics and diplomatic protocol are thorny issues for the US-North Korea summit. Photo: AP |
The Fullerton Hotel’s Presidential Suite is billed as “Singapore’s most exclusive hotel suite.” With its own private elevator, the 2,201-square-foot suite costs $6,000 a night.
Although he did not specify the exact amount ICAN could pay, Mr. Kawasaki said that part of the Nobel Peace Prize would be used for the summit “to support peace on the Korean Peninsula and a world without nuclear weapons.” According to him, the amount would be negotiable if Pyongyang accepted ICAN’s offer.
The upcoming summit in Singapore will be the first time a sitting US president meets a North Korean leader.