Singapore checks security measures before US-North Korea summit?

Reporters wait for the North Korean delegation at the Fullerton Hotel in Singapore on June 1. Photo: Yonhap

Reporters, mainly from South Korea and Japan, continued to camp out in the surrounding streets and lobby of the Fullerton Hotel, where the North Korean summit preparation team is staying.

When asked to be connected to the room of Kim Chang-son, the senior North Korean official leading the delegation, a hotel receptionist said there was no guest by that name. The press speculated that he had booked the room under a fake name or the name of another North Korean official.

Mr. Kim arrived in the lion island on May 28 and participated in several rounds of meetings with the US delegation led by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Joe Hagin at the Capella Hotel in Sentosa.

The small road leading to the compound, which is temporarily housing US officials, remains blocked by security forces. A security official said an “important private event” was taking place there.

The two sides are in Singapore apparently to discuss logistical details for summit talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump that are likely to take place in Singapore this June.

“They appear to be waiting for further instructions from their government, as Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, is on a visit to the United States,” a diplomatic source said.

Police cars parked outside the Shangri-La Hotel on June 1. Photo: Yonhap

On the other side of the island nation of Singapore, defense ministers from the Asia-Pacific region and European countries opened the annual security forum called the Shangri-La Dialogue.

South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo began his trip to Singapore on the morning of June 1, and Pentagon chief Jim Mattis also entered the venue, the Shangri-La Hotel.

Police armed with rifles and pistols blocked off roads and carried out strict security checks around the hotel.

The hotel is among the top choices to host the Kim-Trump meeting, due to its history of hosting important meetings and its location just minutes away from busy neighborhoods.

In 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwanese leader Ma Ying-jeou held an important summit at this hotel.

A South Korean resident in Singapore said: “Many people think it is natural that Shangri-La Hotel will be the venue for the US-North Korea summit. Singapore is a popular tourist destination globally. It is not easy for other big hotels to implement security and safety measures. In that regard, Shangri-La is a good place.”

If North Korea and the United States do choose Shangri-La, the three-day security forum, which runs through June 3, could be a last-minute test of security conditions.

However, the owner of the nearby Orchard Hotel said the Istana, the official residence and office of Singapore's President, was a better option, adding that it would be easier to “manage situations” there.

Meanwhile, a local taxi driver expressed concern: “I know about the US-North Korea summit in Singapore. I am a little worried about the possibility of a terrorist attack in Singapore due to this event.”