Meeting Preparations

[Anchor Lead]

Trump and Kim each arrived in Singapore more than 24 hours ahead of their summit. The two leaders are expected to rest up ahead of their meeting while fine-tuning their negotiation strategies. Here’s a look at what these two leaders are doing to prepare.

[Pkg]

Having arrived in Singapore ahead of his counterpart, North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un immediately carried out a hectic schedule, including a sit-down with Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Afterwards, he is likely to have arrived at his hotel and been briefed on last-minute details to fine-tune his negotiation strategies. U.S. President Donald Trump, who arrived in Singapore after a 17-hour flight, went straight to his hotel without making any official stops. The two leaders are expected to take plenty of rest today before sitting down for a historic summit tomorrow morning. It is customary for the first talks to be a one-on-one meeting between the two leaders. An extended meeting with their closest aides will follow as there is a mountain of issues to discuss. A surprise event may take place in the afternoon, much like the South and North Korean leaders' private bridge walk at the inter-Korean summit in April. During that time, detailed talks among the working-level officials will probably take place to adopt a joint declaration. Experts believe that the North Korean and American leaders agree on the big framework of denuclearization and guarantee of the regime. So, even if they experience a glitch in calibrating the details, they may issue an agreement of symbolic nature before scheduling a second summit.