President Trump says his summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12 is back on — for real, because "we're getting along" and the meeting will be "very successful" — which means it's time to figure out Kim's housing arrangement.
Thanks to North Korea's self-isolation and a broad array of international sanctions, the Kim regime is not exactly flush with cash. For the young dictator to stay during the summit in the presidential suite at his hotel of choice, a historic five-star property called The Fullerton, Kim will need about $6,000 nightly. Add in the cost of housing the rest of his team, and there is no way Kim can pick up the tab.
"North Korea can build nukes and ICBMs," explains Sung-Yoon Lee, a Tufts University expert on Korea, "but claim they are too poor to pay for foreign travel costs."
The question of who will pay instead is diplomatically tricky. While the "United States is open to covering the costs," The Washington Post reports, sources say "Pyongyang may view a U.S. payment as insulting." American organizers are instead planning to ask Singapore, already playing host, to cover the Kim delegation's costs.