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When North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump hold their summit at an exclusive venue in Singapore, one of the priciest destinations in Asia, they will no doubt run up quite a bill. And if past precedent is any indication, expect Pyongyang to pay as little of it as possible.
Speculation over how North Korea will handle the costs for Kim's June 12 meeting with Trump has taken off after a Washington Post report cited two anonymous U.S. officials suggesting the Trump administration has been "seeking a discreet way" to help pay Kim's hotel bill.
The report suggested host nation Singapore might take care of it.
But what exactly needs to be paid for isn't yet clear.
Sure there are the costs of summit venue and the hotels, with one reported option, the Fullerton, coming with a $6,000-a-night price tag for its presidential suite. But that would hardly break the North Korean bank.
While Kim could decide to stay the night, or maybe even two, he might also be in a hurry to get back home, in which case the North wouldn't need a room so much as a base camp. North Korea has an embassy in Singapore, but that likely wouldn't be good enough to meet the logistical and security demands of a full-on summit.
The North may want to send a large delegation to accompany Kim and provide its own security. If there are any feelers going out about cost-sharing, that's a likely topic. But it would be more of a sweetener than a necessity.
Whatever the venue, it's debatable why an outside party would need to pay.
North Korea's government, which is no stranger to hosting lavish events like military parades and party congresses of its own, has ample funds to cover important meetings for Kim.
While highly speculative — Kim is even more averse to divulging details about his personal wealth than Trump — the North Korean leader is believed by some foreign experts to be worth well over $1 billion and have access to billions dollars more thanks to the full backing of his country.
But as history has shown, summits with the Kim family don't come cheap.
Seoul reportedly spent somewhere in the range of $5 million to cover the costs of costs of President Moon Jae-in's first summit with Kim in April — a day-long affair that was held in publicly owned buildings on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone.
And though this falls in a category all of its own, former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung's administration secretly paid $500 million to just to get Kim Jong Un's father to agree to the first-ever North-South Korea summit in 2000.
The South Korean president won that year's Nobel Peace Prize, before the payment was made public. One of his aides was convicted and went to prison.
Hosting North Koreans at sports events can also have extra costs attached.
South Korea paid $2.5 million to cover the costs of more than 400 North Koreans, only 22 of whom were athletes, at the Pyeongchang Games in February.
The Olympics were the first big step of Kim's ongoing diplomatic campaign, which he announced with great fanfare in January. But they weren't the first time Seoul had shelled out in the name of Korean unity.
For the Asian Games in Busan in 2002, it gave about $1.3 million, then $836,000 for a Universiade in 2003 and another $385,000 for the Asian Games in 2014.
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert has denied the U.S. would pay for North Korea in Singapore and said Washington wasn't asking anyone else to, either.
In keeping with normal practice, Singapore, as the host nation, will have to put out for general security and various other expenses.
Singapore announced Monday that it was declaring part of its city center a "special event area" from June 10 to 14 for the summit. The designation will allow for greater security in the area, which is near the U.S. Embassy as well as several hotels, including the Shangri-La.
The Shangri-La has been mentioned as a possible venue for the talks due to its experience as the site of an annual security conference that draws defense officials from around the globe.
Singapore's Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen on Saturday confirmed the country would foot some costs, while steering clear of the details or whether Pyongyang or Washington had made any specifics requests.
"We want to contribute in our small way so that this summit can occur," he told reporters.
The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons has also offered to chip in a share of the million dollars it was awarded for winning the Nobel Peace Prize last year.
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Talmadge is the AP's Pyongyang bureau chief. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram: @EricTalmadge
Singapore policemen patrol at Shangri-La hotel in Singapore on Friday. | Roslan Rahman/Getty Images Trump-Kim summit venue: Singapore tightens security near Shangri-La Hotel as rumors swirl
This story is being published for POLITICO as part of a content partnership with the South China Morning Post. It originally appeared on scmp.com on June 4, 2018.
Singapore has moved to declare its leafy diplomatic district near the popular Orchard Road shopping belt a “special event area,” fueling speculation that the landmark summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will take place at the Shangri-La Hotel.
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The announcement in the government gazette came as diplomatic sources told This Week In Asia on Monday that Pyongyang was insistent that the June 12 event could not be held in an American or European owned venue.
Sources also indicated that if everything went smoothly, the two leaders would stay at separate hotels and convene at another hotel for the summit. Not one of the three premises would be owned by a Western company.
The five-star Shangri-La Hotel is part of the Kuok Group, owned by Hong Kong-based Malaysian billionaire Robert Kuok.
Two other hotels that have seen heightened security activity, according to local media reports, are owned by Singaporean families. These are the waterfront Fullerton Hotel and Capella Hotel on the resort island of Sentosa, home to the Universal Studios Singapore theme park.
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Fullerton Hotel is owned by the Sino Land Company founded by the late real estate tycoon Ng Teng Fong and which is a major property player in the region and Hong Kong, while Capella Hotel is owned by Pontiac Land Group belonging to the Singaporean family known as the Kwee brothers.
“Optics will matter significantly. The two leaders cannot be staying at the same hotel and one cannot be seen as calling on the other. They must appear at the summit at the same time,” said another source. “Everything has to be timed with impeccable precision.”
But there has been no official indication yet that these two hotels will play a part in the summit.
Monday’s announcement by the Singapore government did not mention a specific venue, saying only that the area, one of the Lion City’s most prestigious residential districts, would be made a special event zone from June 10 to June 14.
The declaration means that, under the country’s Public Order Act, police can step up security measures in the area such as stopping and searching people.
Loudhailers, aerosol paint, flares and explosives are among items banned from special event zones. The flying of drones is also prohibited.
The gazette document said the summit could include “lead-in activities and social events” linked to the main event.
The area is home to several high key buildings including the US and Australian embassies and Interpol’s Singapore office.
Residents who live near the hotel are accustomed to heightened security measures because it hosts the annual Shangri-La Dialogue security forum attended by defense ministers from around the world as well as more senior leaders.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi delivered the keynote speech at the forum this year.
For the annual event, the Singapore government deploys a large force from the police Gurkha contingent.
Apart from the annual security forum, the Shangri-La Hotel in 2015 played host to the landmark meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and then Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou.
More than 3,000 journalists are said to have registered to attend the event.
Officials told This Week in Asia security at Changi Airport would be stepped up this week.
On Monday evening, a This Week in Asia reporter at Shangri-La Hotel spotted no visible police presence in the surrounding area.
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore has designated a central region of the wealthy city state as a “special event area” from June 10 to 14 for a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, the government said on Monday.
Security personnel patrol outside Shangri-la Hotel during the IISS Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore June 1, 2018. REUTERS/Edgar Su
The area comprising the districts of Tanglin, Newton and Orchard is where the foreign ministry, the U.S. embassy, and several large hotels are located, including the Shangri-La hotel, mentioned as a possible venue for the June 12 summit.
The announcement was made in the government’s online gazette.
There will be a series of meetings between the two countries over the five days that include “lead-in activities” and social events connected with the summit, it added.
Police will make stricter checks of people and personal property and items such as public address systems and remotely piloted aircraft systems will be prohibited, the notice said.
There has been no confirmation of the venue for the summit to discuss ending the North’s nuclear weapons program in return for diplomatic and economic incentives, although several Singapore hotels have figured as candidates.
SINGAPORE - The Government has declared the area surrounding the Shangri-La Hotel a "special event area" for the period of June 10 to 14, for the upcoming summit between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
While some observers say this has raised the likelihood of the hotel being the venue of the historic summit, others think the Shangri-La could be where one of the two men will be staying, or a “decoy” altogether.
The choice of summit venue has been shrouded in secrecy so far, leading to all kinds of speculation.
The gazetted area is bordered by Dunearn, Paterson, Grange and Cluny roads. Observers point out that it covers other high-end hotels such as the St. Regis Singapore and Four Seasons Hotel Singapore.
The Capella Hotel on Sentosa and The Fullerton Hotel near Fullerton Road have also been mentioned as either where Mr Trump and Mr Kim will stay, or meet.
An order made on Sunday (June 3) in the Government Gazette under the Public Order Act said the “special event area” will take effect from June 10 and run to June 14.
The order, signed by Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs Pang Kin Keong, said the summit may consist of meetings between representatives of the two countries, and includes “any lead-in activities and social events connected with the summit”.
It added that private land in the gazetted area will not be part of the special event area.
The area surrounding the Shangri-La Hotel has been declared by the Government as a "special event area" from the period of June 10 to 14, 2018. PHOTO: MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS
In another order, made on the same day by Commissioner of Police Hoong Wee Teck, a smaller segment within the same area has been declared a "special zone", where enhanced police powers will take effect from June 10 to 14.
There will be special conditions of entry for people or vehicles entering the area, where people might be subject to spot checks or inspections by police officers.
Prohibited items, such as flags, banners, signal flares and flammable materials, will also not be allowed within the area.
The Shangri-La Hotel has held major conferences over the years, including Asean Summits and ministerial meetings, as well as the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, the latest of which ended on Sunday (June 3).
It has also hosted top US leaders such as Mr Barack Obama and Mr George H.W. Bush, and English Premier League club Arsenal. The hotel, which is part of the Kuok Group that is owned by Hong Kong-based Malaysian billionaire Robert Kuok, was also the venue for the 2015 historic meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou.
The announcement indicates a “high likelihood” that the summit will take place at the hotel, said Centre of Excellence for National Security research fellow Muhammad Faizal Abdul Rahman.
“The hotel has experience, especially in cooperating with security forces, to host high level events of political, diplomatic and multilateral importance such as the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.”
He added that enforcing the Public Order Act for the upcoming summit is also necessary to protect against suspicious people and vehicles entering the area and possible threats like terror incidents and violent protests.
Dr Graham Ong-Webb from S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) said the use of the Public Order Act, which allows stringent security measures like bag checks, anti-vehicle barricades and increased police presence, means that Singapore is taking security for the event very seriously.
“It sends a message that there will be no tolerance of nonsense. This is a serious act with serious consequences.”
This is the second time the Minster of Home Affairs has declared a special event under the Public Order Act since it was amended in April 2017.
The first was during the 32nd Asean Summit. The areas around the Istana and Shangri-La Hotel were designated “special event areas” on April 27 and 28.
RSIS’ associate professor Alan Chong said there could be other areas gazetted as special event areas in the days to come.
He pointed out that the Tanglin area could be used for accommodation of the delegations and not necessarily the summit itself.
Agreeing, Dr Ong-Webb said the gazetting of the area could be an attempt to “throw the wider public off the scent” and prevent crowds from gathering near the actual site before security arrangements are in place.
More than 3,000 journalists are expected to be in Singapore to cover the event.
“The element of unpredictability still prevails, and things might only become clear just days before the summit takes place,” said Dr Ong-Webb.
Meanwhile, some residents of the affected area interviewed last night said the excitement of being within walking distance of the Summit outweighs any inconvenience they might have to put up with.
Administrative manager Yeo Su Chen, 50, who lives off Orange Grove Road, said police check points are a common sight during major events like the Shangri-La Dialogue.
“This is a piece of history in the making for world peace and we are happy to be so close to where it is expected to happen... we are all very proud and happy that Singapore is hosting such an important event,” said Mrs Yeo.
Businesswoman Alice Fong, 34, who has lived in the area for most of her life, said: “The security searches have never affected me and my family and take at most a couple of minutes as it is unlikely that any of us carry any prohibited items around anyway.”
A Shangri-La spokesman said “it is still business as usual”, adding that the hotel is not in a position to comment on behalf of summit stakeholders.
The special zone also covers malls such as Forum The Shopping Mall and Tanglin Mall.
Businesses there will likely see a drop in footfall during the period, said Mr Pang Fu Wei, managing director of baby products retailer Mothercare, which has an outlet in Forum.
But he added that the mall relies a lot on enrichment centres to drive footfall. “As long as people keep sending their kids to the centres, I think it shouldn’t be too much of a problem,” he said.
