It was the meeting that shocked the world. North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un committed to ‘complete de-nuclearisation as he and President Donald Trump met for the first. On the agenda – is time to ‘leave the past behind as they both signed a historical document during the summit in Singapore.
The extraordinary security operations that contributed to this unprecedented event are the real story here.
Kim Jong-un’s personal security staff are known as the Supreme Guard Command. They are tasked with the protection of the North Korean leader. Their job requirements range from running alongside Kim Jong Un’s black bullet-proof limousine when he is being transported in public to acting as human shields from any potential assassination threats.
The sharply dressed men were filmed jogging next to his vehicle in Singapore as he made his way from Changi Airport just before his anticipated meeting with President Trump.
How do I apply?
Hold your horses there! Becoming part of Kim Jong Un’s Supreme Guard Command is a strenuous and demanding process and one that requires not only skill and ability but personal sacrifice as well.
The gruelling process actually begins at a young age as recruiters for the Guard look for new recruits in high schools where students are lined up for inspection. Physical requirements include no facial scars and a well-proportioned body. Potential candidates also have their family histories scrutinised for party loyalty.
Once chosen, they are given an ID number while all other records are erased. Contact with family is forbidden, and only one member per family is allowed to serve in the Supreme Guard Command.
A four-day course might seem quite arduous, but we get off lightly! Recruits are then taken to designated training camps for six months and are trained for a total of two years. Training includes taekwondo classes, marksmanship, 25 km marches in full gear and special operations tactics.
Tight Security
If the Supreme Guard seem a bit like overkill, Singapore also supplied its own fearsome and imposing guards to help protect Kim Jong Un.
The elite Gurkha police wear brown berets and carry large curved knives called the Nepalese fighters. This police is rumoured to ‘taste blood’ whenever their knives are drawn.
They don’t teach you this during your Door Supervisor training course now, do they?!
Kim Jong-un’s security precautions are so rigid and tight that he even reportedly brought his own personal portable toilet during his stay.
The necessity for a personal portable loo allegedly stems from the North Korean Leaders’ fear and paranoia that foreign agents and undercover spies could use this to gain an insight into the secretive leader.
Well, much can be made by the colour of someone’s stool sample; just ask Gillian McKeith.
Kim and his security entourage also made the decision to fly the longer route via Beijing. This route required less flight time over water, which apparently is harder to protect.
President Trump and Kim Jong-un met at the Capella Resort, an isolated hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore before they shook hands in front of selective media and had one-on-one talks with their translators that lasted nearly 45 minutes.
The North Korean Leader said it was time to ‘leave the past behind and embark on a new era of relations with America’ while promising that the world would see a ‘major change.’
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