Kim Jong Un met with Lee Hsien Loong ahead of Donald Trump's arrival in Singapore. Rough cut (no reporter narration) </s> SINGAPORE: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana on Sunday (Jun 10), two days before a planned summit with United States President Donald Trump.

"The entire world is focusing on the historic summit between the DPRK and the US, and thanks to your sincere efforts ... we were able to complete the preparations for the historic summit, and I would like to thank you for that," Mr Kim, speaking through an interpreter, told PM Lee.



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"I have the expectation that this (summit) will be very successful."

During the meeting, Mr Lee and Mr Kim discussed Singapore-North Korea relations, as well as developments in the North and the region.

Mr Lee complimented the bold and admirable decision by Mr Kim and US President Trump to come together for Tuesday's summit.

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Mr Lee also wished Mr Kim success for the summit and expressed hope that the meeting will advance the prospects for peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and the larger region.

"We discussed developments in the Korean Peninsula, as well as in the region," said Mr Lee in a Facebook post. "I complimented him on his decision to meet President Trump, and wished him a successful summit and a good stay in Singapore."





The meeting took place less than four hours after Mr Kim touched down at the Changi Airport, where he was received by Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Education Minister Ong Ye Kung.

Mr Kim's motorcade left Changi Aiport accompanied by traffic police escorts as it headed for the St Regis Hotel, where he is expected to stay.

Kim Jong Un landed in Singapore on Sunday afternoon (Jun 10).

Mr Trump is staying at the Shangri-La Hotel, which is also in the Tanglin area within Singapore’s city centre.



Motorcade for Kim Jong Un arrives at St Regis Hotel in downtown Singapore. #TrumpKimSummit https://t.co/dw8NVVcNEs pic.twitter.com/bdtI68Alzg — CNA (@ChannelNewsAsia) June 10, 2018

The two leaders are to meet on Tuesday at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island where talks on denuclearisation of North Korea in exchange for economic help will be on the table.

Both Sentosa and the Tanglin area have been designated special event areas by the police and security has been tightened at both places.

Last week, Singapore authorities also warned travellers arriving at and departing from Singapore to expect flight delays as airspace will be restricted from Sunday to Thursday.

More than 2,500 journalists have descended on Singapore to cover the event, and will be based at a media centre at the F1 pit building.

The unprecedented meeting, the first time a sitting US president meets a North Korean leader, was nearly called off just two weeks before the event.

Watch our comprehensive coverage of the Trump-Kim summit live on YouTube from 7am on Tuesday (Jun 12). Subscribe to our channel here.

You can also watch the livestream, and read updates at www.channelnewsasia.com/trumpkimsummit. </s> US President Donald Trump will today hold a meeting with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, ahead of the historic US-North Korea summit on Tuesday. The meeting between the two leaders will be followed by expanded bilateral meetings and a working lunch.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that the President, Secretary of State, White House Chief of Staff, and National Security Adviser have arrived in Singapore for the June 12 summit. Today, Sung Kim, a former US ambassador to South Korea and former nuclear negotiator with the North, will lead a US delegation for a working group with a North Korean delegation at the Ritz Carlton hotel, Sanders said.

“We are also planning a briefing by senior administration officials in the filing centre at the JW Marriott tentatively scheduled for 5pm local time,” she said in the briefing note issued in Washington yesterday.

During the flight, the President spent time meeting with his staff, reading materials, and preparing for his meetings in Singapore. Chairman Kim on Sunday held a meeting with Prime Minister Lee. He thanked Singapore’s organisation of the summit as if it was “their own family affair”.

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as the summit and the recent positive developments on the Korean peninsula. Lee complimented the bold and admirable decision by Kim and Trump to come together for the Summit.

Prime Minister Lee wished Kim a success for the summit and expressed hope that the US-DPRK meeting will advance the prospects for peace and stability in the Korean peninsula and the larger region. Singapore is one of the few countries that have diplomatic relations with both the US and North Korea.

Trump and Kim are set to meet on Tuesday at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa for talks which could see North Korea dismantle its nuclear arsenal in return for economic help and security guarantees. The summit will be the first meeting between Trump and Kim and mark a turnaround of relations between the two leaders after a long-running exchange of furious threats and insults.

The two leaders have had an extraordinary up-and-down relationship over the past 18 months. Some 2,500 journalists are reporting on the event, which is costing Singapore government about SGD 20 million.

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Kim Jong-un meets with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shortly after his arrival.