Trump administration desperately looking for someone to pay for Kim Jong-un’s 5-star hotel stay at Singapore summit – By Dominique Jackson (rawstory.com) / June 1 2018
After a back-and-forth dance with North Korea, President Donald Trump announced on Friday that the June 12 summit is back on.
Shortly after his announcement, logistical concerns were raised. A report by the Washington Post detailed the complications of deciding who will foot the bill for North Korea’s hotel stay.
Tradition says that the hosting country should pay the bill at their guest’s preferred location. For North Korea, their preferred hotel is the Fullerton, a luxury hotel in Singapore that cost nearly $6,000 a night for executive suites.
White House deputy chief of staff Joe Hagin is helping to lead the logistical efforts for the summit.
Hagin said the U.S is open to paying for the bill, but is considering asking Singapore, the host country to pay for North Korea’s portion. This is because impoverished North Korea could potentially be embarrassed if the U.S. covered the cost.
Moving forward, the White House is planning on asking the United Nations for various payments connected to North Korea, but a list of exemptions could halt the process.
Duyeon Kim, a fellow at the Korean Peninsula said: “There are legitimate mechanisms built in for exemptions depending on the circumstance, but this could run into public and political criticism and send the wrong message to North Korea.”
Other logistical issue associated with the summit include travel arrangements and booking a venue.
