All angles covered as security laid on thick for Kim Jong-un

Security for Kim Jong-un at his first meeting with Donald Trump ­tomorrow is expected to be ultra-tight.

Singapore police patrol the grounds around the St Regis Hotel in preparation for the leaders’ summit tomorrow. Picture: AP

Denuclearisation of North Korea is the headline topic at the summit between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump, but for North Korean officials travelling to Singapore, their top priority is much narrower: protecting their leader.

Security for Kim at his first meeting with the US President ­tomorrow is expected to be ultra-tight, with measures likely surpassing those seen at the April 27 inter-Korean summit, experts and analysts say.

In late April, 12 lanky male bodyguards made international headlines after they surrounded Kim’s Mercedes-Benz vehicle and jogged alongside it whenever the North Korean leader moved across the border.

“As the venue and time of the summit have already been announced, security for Kim Jong-un will be tighter than for any other VIPs,” said Kim Doo-hyun, professor of protection politics at Korea National Sport University. In addition to using bulletproof ­vehicles, North Korea’s security detail is likely to deploy layers of protection surrounding the summit venue and try to divert attention from Kim Jong-un’s car whenever he moves.

“We’ll most likely see an unprecedented scale of protection on land, sea and air as this summit is the biggest issue in the world right now,” said Chae Kyou-chir, chief executive of Top Guard, a prominent South Korean security and protection firm.

“Kim Jong-un is revered as a god-like being in his country, while outside the North, he’s been subject to hostility because of the way his regime is run, and that’s enough to always cause safety concerns for his officials.”

The North Korean leader is likely to be served food prepared by a travelling chef from the North, he added.

In April, North Korean security staff meticulously wiped down with disinfectant the chair Kim would be sitting in while signing the visitor’s book at the Peace House in the border village of Panmunjoml. They did the same for the visitor’s book, and even the pen that Kim eventually did not use.

Other security personnel were spotted using equipment to sweep the room for explosives or recording devices.

“We might see a similar scale of security personnel from North Korea and safety protocols as we did in April, but they’ll also have help from Singapore like special vehicles and agents,” said Cho Seong-ryoul, senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Strategy.

Singapore airspace will be restricted during the summit, ­according to a notice to airmen posted by aviation authorities. This is likely to result in delays at one of Asia’s busiest airports.

Reuters