Almost no one in North Korea knew about the Trump-Kim summit until today

North Koreans reading about Trump/Kim summit.

(Image credit: Screenshot/Twitter/TicToc by Bloomberg)

President Trump and Kim Jong Un's on-again off-again Singapore summit has dominated the global news cycle since it was first announced, but at least one citizenry is just learning about the historic meeting: North Koreans. "With few sources of information other than government-run media, gossip, and word of mouth, North Koreans were largely in the dark about the momentous — and potentially life-changing — events taking place outside of their isolated nation," The Associated Press reports.

On Monday, just one day before the summit, North Korea's Korean Central News Agency at last reported that Kim was in Singapore, where he had met with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and would be sitting down with Trump within 24 hours. One Pyongyang resident, Han Il Gwang, told Bloomberg that he "saw the news in the newspaper" when he woke up Monday morning.

Trump and Kim will participate in a private one-on-one meeting Tuesday, and will reportedly depart in the evening after the full summit concludes.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.