US and North Korea decided on summit host country ‘on their own’: Balakrishnan

SINGAPORE – Representatives from the United States and North Korea "decided on their own" that Singapore would be good place for their leaders to meet, and the host country was only informed after the decision was made.

"We did not put up our hand and volunteer for it. So we were informed after the fact," said Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday (June 11) in an interview with British broadcaster BBC.

Singapore could not say no to playing host to the historic event, Dr Balakrishnan said, noting that the subject matter would "inevitably involve" South-east Asia and Singaporeans.

Mr Trump and Mr Kim are expected to discuss issues of mutual concern, including peace and denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, when they meet on Tuesday at Sentosa island's Capella hotel.

"This is the last hangover of the Cold War. You have people whose time for development is overdue. They are Asians like us, and any war or hostility in North-east Asia will inevitably involve South-east Asia and have an impact on us. So we had to say yes," said Dr Balakrishnan.

Mr Kim – whose official title is Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea – arrived at Singapore's Changi Airport on Sunday afternoon and is expected to leave at 2pm on Tuesday.

Before the summit, his advance team visited Singapore to "walk the grounds, check the hotels" and meet with Singapore officials to ensure his safety, Dr Balakrishnan said.

"I think over the weeks that they spent with us, they gained greater confidence that we are sort of no-nonsense but efficient people. We are good for our word, we are meticulous, we pay attention to details – every smallest detail. All that I think gave them confidence that this was the right site, the right choice. Because what you want is a conducive site so that their minds are clear to focus on the substantive negotiations," he said.

The S$20 million price tag to host the summit includes the bill for Mr Kim and his delegation's stay at the St Regis hotel, Dr Balakrishnan confirmed.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had revealed the cost of hosting the summit when speaking to the Singapore media on Sunday, when he visited the International Media Centre at the F1 Pit building. About half of the S$20 million will be spent on enhancing security for the summit.

"It's hospitality that we would have offered them, and as Chairman Kim said yesterday, he would have liked to have come to Singapore anyway, with or without the summit. We would of course have offered hospitality," said Dr Balakrishnan.

The reputational benefits that will accrue to Singapore from pulling off the summit will far outweigh those costs, he added.