Kim Jong Un arrives in Singapore ahead of Trump summit

Kim Jong Un arrives in Singapore ahead of Trump summit
Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, greets Kim Jong Un. Copyright Singapore's Foreign Minister via Twitter
By Saphora Smith and Bill Neely and Jonathan Allen with NBC News World News
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Trump said Saturday that the summit represents a "one-time shot" for Kim to show he's serious about nuclear disarmament.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrived in Singapore early Sunday ahead of an unprecedented summit with President Donald Trump.

"Welcomed Chairman Kim Jong Un, who has just arrived in Singapore," the country's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said in a tweet, posting a picture of him shaking hands with Kim as he disembarked an airplane.

This is the furthest Kim has traveled since he became leader in 2011, meaning North Korean officials have little to no experience of preparing for diplomatic trips to other nations where they may be vulnerable to hacking, surveillance or even attack.

Despite Singapore's strict laws and ubiquitous surveillance, the North Korean delegation are not taking any chances when it comes to security.

Four black armored BMW's, on loan from Singapore's government, were on standby at Changi airport in Singapore on Sunday, while Kim's limousine was reportedly being flown over for the duration of his visit.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is driven in car with flags flying as the motorcade heads out of Singapore Airport on Sunday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is driven in car with flags flying as the motorcade heads out of Singapore Airport on Sunday.MAST IRHAM

Refrigerator trucks were also at the ready, reportedly to transport food flown over from North Korea for its delegation.

Kim is due to stay at the St. Regis hotel in Singapore as neither the North Korean embassy, nor the ambassador's residence, were reportedly suitable to accommodate the North's leader. An advance team of officials have reportedly been at the hotel since Saturday.

Trump said Saturday that the historic summit represents a "one-time shot" for Kim to show he's serious about nuclear disarmament.

"I feel that Kim Jong Un wants to do something great for his people and he has that opportunity," Trump said at a press conference just before he departed a G-7 summit in Charlevoix, Canada, for his historic Tuesday rendezvous with Kim.

"He won't have that opportunity again."

Trump left one summit for the other, leaving chaos in his wake. The president announced Saturday that he was pulling the U.S. out of the Group of Seven's official statement of common values and accusing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the host of the conference, of "false statements."

But with the G-7 in his rearview mirror, Trump seemed ready to focus on North Korea. At a minimum, he said, he wants to begin a relationship and, he predicted, it won't take him long to figure out whether Kim is genuinely interested in a making a deal that includes denuclearization.

"I think within the first minute, I'll know — just my touch, my feel," he said.

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