Why Kim Jong Un brought his own toilet to Singapore – and other weird summit facts

The two leaders sat down to a lunch of
short rib, octopus and Häagen-Dazs

Profile

This is not the first time Kim has taken such a precaution. The
armoured car which brought him to his milestone meeting with South
Korean president Moon Jae-in April has its own toilet, and he
reportedly brings one with him even on travels within North
Korea.

The practice “allegedly stems from Mr Kim’s fear that
foreign agents will look at his stools to gain an insight into his
secretive life”, The Independent reports, potentially uncovering
health problems which rival states could use to their
advantage.

The almost total absence of concrete information about
Kim’s health or personal life is also “a useful negotiating
factor”, says Slate: “Kim knows more about the
publicity-loving U.S. president than Trump knows about him”.

Kim greeted Trump in English
(maybe)

Initial reports suggested that Kim’s first words to
Trump were “Nice to meet you, Mr President”, as the two shook hands
outside Singapore’s Capella hotel ahead of their summit.

“However, others put forth doubts about the claim,
suggesting that those words had actually come from the
interpreter,” says the Korea Herald.

Kim is thought to have spent part of his
education at an international school in Switzerland, where he would
have been taught in English. However, both leaders were accompanied
by their interpreters throughout their talks.

The leaders ate Häagen-Dazs at
lunch

The menu at the lunch organised for the US and
North Korean delegations was, as you might have expected, an
East-West fusion, with prawn cocktail and beef short rib nestling
up against stuffed cucumber and sweet and sour pork.

The inclusion of Häagen-Dazs on an otherwise
brand-free menu had some wondering if the ice cream firm had
brokered a highly unlikely sponsorship deal:

The meeting made Dennis Rodman cry

Former US basketball star Dennis Rodman has been a peripheral
figure in the US-North Korea conflict, after striking up an
unlikely friendship with Kim in 2013 while hosting exhibition
matches in Pyongyang.

Long an advocate of dialogue with the dictator,
Rodman’s vision came true as Trump and Kim shook hands and signed a
joint statement on Tuesday.

Wearing one of the red Make America Great Again
baseball caps sported by Trump fans, Rodman wept during an
emotionally-charged interviewed on CNN.

“I knew things were gonna change,” he said,
recounting how he had received death threats over his friendship
with Kim. “It’s a great day. I am here to see it. I’m so
happy.”