President Donald Trump announced on June 1 that his meeting with the DPRK’s Kim Jong-un was still set to take place, a week after he had temporarily cancelled it. However, there is one stumbling block, according to The Washington Post: the summit organizers can’t decide who will pay for the North Korean leader’s stay in Singapore.
The newspaper’s sources suggest that North Korea wants some other country to pay for a suite in the luxurious Fullerton hotel, priced at over $6,000 per night. The US is allegedly ready to cover the expenses, but they fear the gesture may be taken as an insult. Separately, such a move demands the US Treasury Department’s approval, as the hotel payment would contradict their sanctions regime.
There is, however, another option: Singapore may pay for Kim Jong-un’s lodging, as it has already been suggested by the country’s defense minister, Ng Eng Hen.
It also seems unclear how Kim Jong-un will cover the 4,500 kilometers between North Korea and Singapore. The US newspaper cited outdated jets operating in North Korea, which Kim may use to fly to China and borrow someone else’s plane.
