S$20m Spent to Host Trump-Kim Summit, an Endeavour in Singapore’s ‘Profound Interest’: PM Lee

TODAY

11 June 2018

The Republic will spend about S$20 million on logistics and security to host the high-profile meeting between United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, but that is a price Singapore is “willing to pay” for a “very important operation”, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

“The Government sees this as a contribution to maintaining international stability and well-being of the region,” said S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) professor Tan See Seng.

As with other high-stakes international meetings that Singapore has hosted, the Trump-Kim summit will ensure that Singapore is “kept in the limelight”, said Dr Tan, a professor of international relations who specialises in politics and security in Asia Pacific.

“It is an opportunity to demonstrate our relevance in the world,” he said.

RSIS research fellow Dr Graham Ong-Webb urged Singaporeans to look beyond monetary terms. “We need to look at the value we are generating from this dollar amount… Ten years down the road, if North Korea is completely denuclearised, we can say we had a role in starting this process… It is an investment worth pursuing in any case.”

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Last updated on 11/06/2018