A smiling Kim Jong Un has been pictured enjoying a late-night stroll in Singapore ahead of his landmark meeting with Donald Trump.

The North Korean dictator was surrounded by heavy security as he visited the luxury Marina Bay Sands hotel-casino.

His powerful sister Kim Yo Jong, who Mr Kim promoted to his regime's top decision-making body in October 2017, was also pictured outside the hotel.

They walked through Singapore hours before the retired NBA basketball star Dennis Rodman, a long-time friend of the North Korean leader, landed in the country.

NBA star Rodman: Summit should go well

He told reporters at Changi Airport that he expected the summit to "go fairly well" but that "people should not expect too much for the first time".


Rodman continued: "I'm just happy to be a part of it."

The eccentric sportsman will not play any direct role in the talks, and added that he was unsure if he would get to meet Mr Kim on his trip.

Image: Kim Jong Un was surrounded by heavy security as he strolled through Singapore

Singapore's foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan tweeted a selfie of himself with Mr Kim hours before the historic meeting.

On Tuesday morning, Mr Kim will become the first North Korean leader to meet a sitting US president.

Image: Kim Yo Jong also enjoyed a walkabout in Singapore

The summit will take place at 9am local time (2am BST) at the Capella Hotel on the resort island of Sentosa.

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said Mr Trump's "ultimate objective" will be the "irreversible" denuclearisation of Mr Kim's regime.

He sounded an upbeat tone and said preparatory talks were "moving quite rapidly".

Image: Kim Jong Un posed for a selfie with Singapore's foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan

The president's most senior expert on weapons of mass destruction has joined him in Singapore for the summit.

Sky News' Asia correspondent Tom Cheshire said Mr Kim has already made clear he is seeking economic development from the negotiations.

2014: The North Korean Defectors

He said: "Kim's nuclear arsenal might appear to give him a position of strength but the reality is more precarious.

"He must deliver economic growth to preserve his rule.

"But opening up will also bring its own pressures on the regime."

Image: Dennis Rodman has arrived in Singapore ahead of the summit

Mr Trump declared he was on a "mission of peace" before he left the G7 summit early to head to Singapore.

He told reporters he would "know within a minute" whether Mr Kim was serious about giving up his nuclear weapons.

Mr Trump enjoyed a working lunch with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday, during which he was presented with an early birthday cake.

Image: Donald Trump blows out the candle on his birthday cake

The US president turns 72 on Thursday.

The summit on Tuesday will take place weeks after the US president called it off in May.

He met with a senior North Korean official at the White House on 1 June and later announced the meeting was back on.