Kim Jong-un arrives in Singapore for historic summit with Donald Trump
After its strange flight path from Pyongyang, North Korean leader’s Boeing 747 has been seen on the runway at Changi Airport
It is all systems go in Singapore as the country readies itself for the arrival of United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ahead of their highly anticipated summit in the Lion City on Tuesday.
The Boeing 747 believed to be carrying Kim Jong-un has landed in Singapore, sources on the ground said.
Air China flight CA61 touched down at Changi Airport shortly before 2.40pm.
About 3.05pm, a motorcade of Mercedes Benz sedans, police cars and a mobile hospital was seen leaving the airport’s VIP complex.
It was believed to be heading towards the St Regis hotel on Orchard Road in downtown Singapore, where Kim and his delegation are staying.
Kim takes no chances on flight to Singapore
The aircraft most probably carrying Kim Jong-un to Singapore for his summit with Donald Trump took a mostly inland route while flying over China, according to a flight tracking service.
“North Korea’s utmost concern is Kim’s route, as there have always been big concerns about assassination attempts,” according to Lee Yun-keol, a former bodyguard for North Korea’s ruling family.
Data from Swedish website Flightradar24 showed Kim’s flight initially passed over four Chinese provinces – Hebei, Henan, Hubei and Hunan – and stayed well clear of coastal areas.
After reaching the southern coastal region of Guangxi, it veered off to the Chinese island province of Hainan, apparently in an attempt to maximise the amount of time it spent in Chinese airspace.
Lee, who worked for the North Korean Guard Command’s personal security unit before defecting to South Korea in 2005, said the flight path would have been very carefully chosen.
The website data also showed that there were no civilian planes anywhere near Kim’s flight, despite it passing through a usually busy area for such aircraft.
A source from the South Korean air force said China was clearly controlling all air movements to provide Kim with maximum security.
“It is one of the highest security protocols that an air force can provide to a head of a state,” the person said.
A separate source said earlier that China might send fighter jets to escort Kim through its airspace, not only to aid an ally but also to keep itself as close as possible to the Trump-Kim summit.
“If China does provide the escort, it may be a message directed at the US-ROK alliance that China is strongly backing the Kim regime,” the person said, referring to South Korea’s official name, the Republic of Korea.
Another source with the South Korean Air Force told the Post that Kim’s decision to fly in a Boeing 747 – rather than the former-Soviet Il-62M plane he has used before – was probably due to status reasons. He would not have wanted his aircraft to look inferior to Trump’s Air Force One – a symbol of US power – the person said.
Boeing 747-400s, which costs about US$250million, are popular with world leaders as they can be fitted with living spaces, a bedroom and an office. In comparison, the Il-62M is a narrow-body jet with far less room.
The source said the 747 was also better suited to long flights than the Il-66M. Pyongyang to Singapore is more than 4,000km (2,500 miles).
While Kim is expected to arrive in Singapore on Sunday afternoon, a group of about 20 people from the North Korean delegation, including KCNA reporters, were seen boarding a bus outside their base at the St. Regis Hotel at 11am.
http:// www.scmp.com/news/asia/diplomacy/article/2150072/singapore-all-systems-go-trump-kim-summit-north-korean-leader