
Kim Jong-un arrived in Singapore in bizarre style earlier today, with his bodyguards shown jogging beside his limousine as he heads into a historic summit with Donald Trump.

The dictator flew in on an Air China flight after North Korea dispatched two decoy flights as a diversionary tactic over the leader's fears of assassination.

Kim landed at Singapore's Changi airport on Sunday afternoon wearing his trademark dark 'Mao suit' and distinctive high-cut hairstyle on his longest trip overseas as head of state, amid huge security precautions on the city-state island.

North Korea's capacity for distraction and sleight of hand was on show as two decoy flights also made their way to Singapore from North Korea.

In all, three aircraft - including the North Korean leader's private plane - made their way to Singapore from Pyongyang airport, a facility that frequently sees fewer than three international flights a day.

One of them was the ageing Soviet-made Ilyushin-62 that is Kim's personal jet - officially known as 'Chammae-1', or Goshawk-1, after the North's national bird but perhaps more memorably dubbed 'Air Force Un'.

But while Singapore is well within its range, questions have been raised about its reliability and Kim, it turned out, was not on board.

Instead he flew on an Air China Boeing 747. According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, it took off using flight number CA122, a standard designation for the airline's route from Pyongyang to Beijing.

Scroll down for video

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un shakes hands with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana in Singapore

Kim Jong-un (left) talks with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (right) during his visit to The Istana, the official residence of the prime minister

Vivian Balakrishnan (right), Singapore's foreign minister, shared a picture shaking hands with Kim after his arrival on Sunday

The jet carrying Kim landed at Singapore's Changi airport on Sunday afternoon amid huge security precautions on the city-state island

The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (centre left) is greeted by Singapore's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Vivian Balakrishnan, at Changi International Airport

In midair, it changed its callsign to CA061 and headed south, landing in Singapore at 2.36pm local time.

In Singapore, the jet's high-profile passenger was met by Singapore's Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

'Welcomed Chairman Kim Jong Un, who has just arrived in Singapore,' Balakrishnan said on Twitter, alongside a picture of him shaking hands with Kim wearing glasses and a dark Maoist suit.

He was driven into the city-state in a convoy of more than 20 vehicles, including an ambulance, with North Korean television cameramen filming his progress through the sunroofs.

Kim's large limousine with a North Korean flag was seen surrounded by other black vehicles with tinted windows as it sped through the city's streets to the St. Regis Hotel, where China's President Xi Jinping once stayed.

Later, hundreds of Singaporeans lined the streets to capture images of their own of his black Mercedes Benz stretch limousine with tinted windows - not normally allowed in Singapore, even for the country's prime minister.

Just a few hours after his arrival, Kim met with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana presidential palace.

More than five hours after Kim's arrival, Trump flew into Singapore's Paya Lebar Air Base aboard Air Force One at 8.21pm, looking to lay the groundwork for a nuclear deal with one of America's most bitter long-time foes.

The two men are scheduled to meet at 9am local time on Tuesday after a dramatic on-again, off-again, on-again back-and-forth lead up to the summit.

US President Donald Trump waves after Air Force One arrived at Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore on Sunday evening

Trump walks down the stairs after Air Force One arrived at Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore, five hours after Kim's arrival

The plane carrying Trump arrives at Paya Lebar Air Base in Singapore, before Tuesday's summit with North Korean leader

Trump and KIm will meet on June 12 for an unprecedented summit in an attempt to address the last festering legacy of the Cold War, with the US president calling it a 'one time shot' at peace

Trump flew into Singapore's Paya Lebar Air Base aboard Air Force One, looking to lay the groundwork for a nuclear deal with one of America's most bitter long-time foes

The motorcade carrying Trump makes its way to the Shangri-La hotel in Singapore, where the US president is staying

When Trump and Kim meet at the five-star Capella Hotel on the resort island of Sentosa on Tuesday, they will be making history even before they start.

Enemies since the Korean War, the leaders of North Korea and the United States have never met previously - or even spoken on the phone.

Trump, who enjoys making deals, is negotiating one of the biggest of his presidency with his meeting with Kim.

The US president will push for a North Korean nuclear accord, which if he gets it, would be a history-making agreement that Trump hopes will net him the Noble Peace Prize.

Trump told reporters upon his arrival he felt ‘very good’ about his upcoming sit down with Kim.

It is far from clear what kind of final agreement will come out of the meeting, which some in Washington D.C. would be little more than a photo op for Kim to brag about back home.

Before he left for Singapore, Trump told reporters he would rely on his intuition to seize up Kim’s intentions.

‘My touch, my feel — that’s what I do,’ he said.

Kim, after building up his country's nuclear capacity, now seems to want to focus on its economy and breaking down the international sanctions that have disseminated it.

Kim Jong-un sits down for a chat with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana in Singapore

The North Korean leader wore his signature dark Maoist suit for his first day in Singapore on Sunday

Officials gather for a meeting between Kim Jong-Un and Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday evening

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un headed to meet Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shortly after he landed at Changi Airport on Sunday

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gestures towards the media as he meets with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un

The North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (left) met with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong shortly after his arrival

Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gestures to the North Korean leader during his visit to the Istana on Sunday

The black Mercedes Benz stretch limousine carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un makes its way to the Istana on Sunday

The official car carrying North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un leaves the Istana, the official residence of the prime minister, after his meeting with the Singaporean prime minister

Police stand outside the gates of the Istana, the official residence of the prime minister, ahead of the arrival of North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un

President Trump boards Air Force One at Canadian Forces Base Bagotville in Canada on Saturday as he departs for Singapore

Trump waves as he boards Air Force One before leaving Bagotville in Canada to travel to Singapore to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

Meanwhile, reporters and photographers packed the pavements outside the St Regis hotel - located less than a half a mile from the Shangri-La, where Trump is staying.

Covers had been hung over the driveway and hotel security brought out additional potted plants to obstruct the view of the lobby.

Located just off Singapore's diplomatic district and a stone's throw away from the Orchard Road shopping belt, the modernist St Regis is tucked between an ageing building dotted with carpet shops and a sleepy high-end neighbourhood mall.

Rooms at the establishment start at Sg$320 ($240) a night.

On the 20th floor, the ostentatiously opulent 335-square metre (3,606 square feet) Presidential Suite, where Kim was believed likely to stay, features a Marc Chagall artwork and a white baby grand piano.

Its rooms are 'lined with gold, and accented with precious metals like brass, onyx and silver', the hotel says on its website. It does not give prices but the list price of a similar facility in New York is $35,000 a night.

But who will pick up the bill for the North Koreans' stay has been the subject of much speculation.

The plane carrying North Korea's leader approaches to land at Changi International Airport in Singapore on Sunday

A large limousine with a North Korean flag could be seen surrounded by other black vehicles with tinted windows as it sped through the city's streets

North Korean security personnel run next to a motorcade carrying North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore on Sunday

The motorcade carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un arrives at the St Regis hotel in Singapore, where he is staying

Police vehicles vehicles block an entrance outside the St. Regis Hotel in Singapore on Sunday ahead of the historic summit

Police inspect vehicles at a checkpoint at the back of the St Regis Hotel ahead of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's arrival

An armed police officer guards the entrance of the international media centre in Sinagpore on Sunday

A man takes a photo of a police notice outside the St. Regis Hotel in Singapore. The area around St. Regis Hotel and Shangri-La Hotel has been demarcated by the police as a special event area with heightened security checks

A crowd gathered near the five-star St Regis hotel where North Korea's Kim Jong-un is staying in Singapore

Where will the summit be held? The macabre history of Sentosa Island where Trump and Kim will meet Restaurants have been closed and a new surveillance camera was installed on Singapore's Sentosa Island - a popular tropical getaway that has been thrust into the spotlight ahead of a summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. The resort island plans to keep welcoming tourists this week despite boosted security for the summit at the 112-room Capella Singapore hotel. A group of journalists gathered outside the hotel and across the road, waiting for signs that officials had arrived. But only authorised vehicles were allowed to enter, and hotel restaurants were not taking reservations until after the summit. Police have marked the island and some of its surrounding waters as a 'special event area,' where loud-hailers, flags or banners over a metre-long or wide are banned. Part of the facade of the five-star Capella Hotel (pictured centre) is seen on Sentosa Island in Singapore, where Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will meet Located a quarter mile off the coast of Singapore, Sentosa is no stranger to celebrities and VIPs. It is linked to the city by a bridge and home to high-end resorts, golf courses and a large amusement park. But the macabre history of the island, which will become the venue of the historic summit on Tuesday, is less known. In the 18th century, when Singapore was a British colony, an unknown epidemic killed off most of its population of 60. Only two households survived. During World War II, the British used artillery forts and a battery on the island to unsuccessfully fend off a Japanese invasion, which transformed it into a prisoner-of-war camp. It's no wonder the island was known as Pulau Blakang Mati, which roughly translates as 'island of death from behind.' In 1970, the island was renamed after a nationwide contest. Sentosa was subsequently developed as a resort and expanded on reclaimed land. Technicians install a surveillance camera at the entrance of the five-star Capella Hotel on Sentosa island on Saturday Nevertheless, Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore's prime minister from 1959 to 1990, used the island to hold long-term political prisoners who were often detained without trial. Chia Thye Poh, a former member of parliament, spent 23 years in jail and under loose house arrest there. He worked as a freelance translator for the island's management, before he was allowed to visit the mainland for a short time every day and set free. But these days, Sentosa is a popular resort island, with numerous beaches, hotels and restaurants, and attracts around 19 million visitors every year. Advertisement

Journalists and onlookers watch the motorcade carrying North Koran leader Kim Jong Un-un arriving at the St. Regis hotel ahead of the US-North Korea summit

Hundreds of Singaporeans lined the streets to capture images of their own of his black Mercedes Benz stretch limousine with tinted windows - not normally allowed in Singapore, even for the country's prime minister

Singapore police stand guard outside the St Regis hotel where the North Korean leader will stay with signs informing people that security checks will be taking place

A large limousine with a North Korean flag could then be seen surrounded by other black vehicles with tinted windows as it sped through the city's streets

Pedestrians walk in front of the luxurious St Regis Hotel in Singapore, where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is staying

Kim Jong-un impersonator Howard X (right) and Donald Trump impersonator Dennis Alan (left) pose for a photo making a fist bump as they make an appearance at the Bugis Junction shopping mall in Singapore on Saturday

The North's economy has suffered from years of mismanagement and is now subject to multiple sanctions over its nuclear ambitions.

Pyongyang has a history of trying to have others pay for its travel. Seoul paid for its delegates to this year's Winter Olympics in the South.

Journalists deported 'for trespassing at the residence of the North Korean ambassador' Two South Korean journalists arrested on suspicion of trespassing at the residence of the North Korean ambassador have been deported. 'I think it's a bad idea in any country to break into ambassador's residences. No different in Singapore. Case closed. They have been asked to leave,' Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said. The two men represented the Korean Broadcasting System News and were arrested on Friday. They were not accredited as media personnel in Singapore. The national broadcaster apologised for the incident in its Friday evening newscast. Another KBS journalist and an interpreter are also under investigation. The maximum penalty for criminal trespass is a jail term of three months and a fine of 1,500 Singapore dollars. Speaking to the media ahead of Tuesday's summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Shanmugam added that authorities have had to prevent three or four individuals from entering the country. On Saturday, immigration authorities turned away 'someone from a regional country' who was found to be visiting websites on suicide bombing, he said. Australian Zaky Mallah, who was once tried on terrorism charges, was prevented from entering the city-state on Thursday due to his history of extremism. Police have stepped up security around 'special event areas' such as the summit's venue on Sentosa Island, and hotels where Trump and Kim are staying. Advertisement

But a Seoul presidential spokesman said it was 'not considering it at all at the moment', while the US has insisted it will not foot the bill - and is not asking anyone else to do so.

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday his government was spending around Sg$20 million to host the summit - around half of it on security.

'It's a cost that we are willing to pay. It's our contribution to an international endeavour which is in our profound interests,' he said. He did not mention the North Koreans' hotel bill.

Meanwhile, the small island nation of Singapore, which prides itself on law and order, is feeling the pressure of more than 3,000 members of the press arriving for the historic summit.

The heavy media presence along with stringent security measures for the summit has added to the frenzy unusual for the laid-back tropical state.

For more than a week, journalists have been staking out Singapore's luxury hotels, airports and government buildings to catch a glimpse of officials involved in summit preparations.

Unruly ones have already crossed red lines.

Singapore officials said Sunday that two South Korean journalists arrested on suspicion of trespassing at the residence of the North Korean ambassador have been deported.

Police announced on Friday that they arrested two journalists from national broadcaster KBS. Another KBS journalist and an interpreter were also under investigation.

Responding to the arrests, South Korean presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom urged journalists from his country, where the free-wheeling press is a norm, to behave. KBS apologised for the incident in their Friday evening newscast.

Singapore is not used to a rowdy press as most of the mainstream media are controlled by government-linked companies and independent news websites are wary of strict defamation laws that government leaders have used to silence critics.

Besides journalists, authorities also have to contend with Kim and Trump impersonators.

On Friday, Kim impersonator Lee Howard Ho Wun was questioned by police when he arrived at Singapore's Changi Airport.

Lee, who also uses the name Howard X, said he was told to stay away from Sentosa Island, where the summit will be held, and around Shangri-La Hotel, where Trump is expected to stay.

Lee said the police asked if he had been involved in protests around the world, including those by pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong, where he lives.

'I've never encountered this at any other country. I guess they could have deported me, but then the headline the next day would read `Kim Jong Un gets deported from Singapore,' which I'm sure they wouldn't want,' Lee said.

Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority said that all travelers could be subjected to additional interviews and checks.

Officers patrol outside the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, where US president Donald Trump will stay ahead of the summit

Security personnel stand guard outside the Valley Wing of the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore, ahead of Trump's arrival

Armed police officers patrol outside the Shangri-La hotel where Trump will stay ahead of the US-North Korea summit in Singapore

Armed police officers patrol outside the Shangri-La hotel where US President Donald Trump will stay ahead of the US-North Korea summit in Singapore

Armed officers stand guard outside the Shangri-La hotel in Singapore where Donald Trump is staying ahead of the summit

Police officers patrol the swimming pool at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on Sunday ahead of the summit on Tuesday

Kim is set to meet with Trump on Tuesday in what's shaping up to be one of the most unusual summits in modern history.

Despite the initial high stakes of a meeting meant to rid North Korea of its nuclear weapons, the talks have been portrayed by Trump in recent days more as a get-to-know-each-other meeting.

But he boldly predicted 'great success' and said he'd been preparing 'all his life' for the meeting.

'A long time ago, this could have been solved in a lot easier manner and a lot less dangerous manner. But it wasn't. So I'll solve it, and we'll get it done,' he said on Thursday.

Trump said on Thursday that he didn't think he had to prepare very much for the summit and that 'it's about attitude.' But some US officials have questioned whether Trump was doing enough to get up to speed.

But the 71-year-old reassured naysayers on Friday that he had 'been preparing all my life' for the showdown with Kim.

Trump told reporters in Canada on Saturday any agreement with Kim would be 'spur of the moment,' underscoring the uncertain outcome of the meeting.

That came as Trump threw the Group of Seven's efforts to show a united front into disarray after he became angry with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and said he might double down on import tariffs by hitting the sensitive auto industry.

Trump's bombshell announcement that he was backing out of the G7 communique, made after he left the summit in Canada early, torpedoed what appeared to be a fragile consensus on the trade dispute between Washington and its top allies.

Trump has also raised the possibility of further summits and an agreement ending the Korea War by replacing the armistice signed in 1953 with a peace treaty. China and South Korea would have to sign off on any legal treaty.

Trump departed the G7 summit in Charlevoix in Canada early, telling reporters he was embarking on a 'mission of peace.'

He said: 'I will be on a mission of peace and will carry in my heart the hearts of millions of people, all over the world.

'We really think North Korea will be a tremendous place in a very short period of time and we appreciate everything that's going on.'

Bystanders take photos of the limousine carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, ahead of the US-North Korea summit

A crowd of spectators gathers outside the Istana Presidential Palace, where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will arrive

Singapore police officers work to keep a crowd of onlookers behind barriers outside the Istana Presidential Palace on Sunday

A line of police cars arrive at the Istana, the official residence of the prime minister, ahead of a scheduled meeting between the Singaporean prime minister and North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un

He added to reporters: 'It's unknown territory in the truest sense, but I really feel confident.

'I feel that Kim Jong-un wants to do something great for his people and he has that opportunity and he won't have that opportunity again.

'It's never been done before. And obviously, what has been done before hasn't worked.'

Raising expectations, Trump had also said the outcome of the meeting will rely heavily on his own instincts.

The US president said he will know 'within the first minute' of meeting Kim whether the North Korean leader is serious about the nuclear negotiations.

Trump frequently has boasted of his negotiating prowess as a former real estate developer, and his ability to read people, even though his businesses have declared multiple bankruptcies.

'I think I'll know pretty quickly whether or not, in my opinion, something positive will happen. And if I think it won't happen, I'm not going to waste my time. I don't want to waste his time,' he said.

'This is a leader who really is an unknown personality,' Trump added of Kim.

Singapore military personnel patrol in front of the gate of the Istana Presidential Palace, where North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will meet on Sunday

The North Korean leader is scheduled with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong ahead of Tuesday's historic summit

Security gather outside the gates of the Istana, the official residence of the prime minister, ahead of a scheduled meeting between the Singaporean prime minister and Kim

Singapore police officers gather in front of the gate of the Istana Presidential Palace, where Kim Jong-un is scheduled to arrive

Protest signs, including one calling for Trump's impeachment, are laid out for a 'Peace Gathering' at Hong Lim Park in Singapore on Sunday

'People don't know much about him. I think that he's going to surprise on the upside, very much on the upside.'

White House aides described Trump in the days after receiving Kim's initial invitation as being obsessed by visions of winning the Nobel Peace Prize and using `The Art of the Deal' to put his mark on the global order.

But in recent weeks, Trump's enthusiasm has been tempered somewhat by the challenge of deal-making with such an unpredictable opponent.

And there are worries from the White House to East Asian allies that Trump's desire for an agreement will lead him to accept any deal - even if it's a bad one.

The Trump-Kim meeting has captured intense global attention after a turn to diplomacy in recent months replaced, for the time being, serious fears of war last year amid North Korean nuclear and missile tests.

The North, many experts believe, stands on the brink of being able to target the entire US mainland with its nuclear-armed missiles.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is driven in car with flags flying as the motorcade heads out of Singapore's Changi Airport

The Trump-Kim meeting has captured global attention after a turn to diplomacy replaced serious fears of war last year

Kim is set to meet with Trump on Tuesday in what's shaping up to be one of the most unusual summits in modern history

Singapore police on guard outside the St Regis hotel, where North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will stay ahead of the summit

While there's deep skepticism that Kim will quickly give up those hard-won nukes, there's also some hope that diplomacy can replace the animosity between the U.S. and the North.

The North Korean autocrat's every move will be followed by 3,000 journalists up until he shakes hands with Trump.

He has only publicly left his country three times since taking power after his despot father's death in late 2011 - twice traveling to China and once across his shared border with the South to the southern part of the Demilitarized Zone in recent summits with the leaders of China and South Korea respectively.

There's a flurry of speculation about what results might come from the summit. The initial goal was the 'complete denuclearisation' of the North.

Pyongyang has said it's willing to deal away its entire nuclear arsenal if the United States provides it with a reliable security assurance and other benefits.

But many, if not all analysts, say that this is highly unlikely, given how hard it has been for Kim to build his program and that the weapons are seen as the major guarantee to his unchecked power.

North Korean security personnel arrive at the St Regis hotel ahead of his expected arrival of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un

Members of the North Korean delegation are seen in Singapore on Sunday ahead of the summit between Trump and Kim

The North Korean autocrat's every move will be followed by 3,000 journalists up until he shakes hands with Trump. Pictured, members of the North Korean delegation

Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are scheduled to meet at the Capella Hotel in Sentosa for a historic summit. Pictured, Singapore police

Any nuclear deal will hinge on North Korea's willingness to allow unfettered outside inspections of the country's warheads and radioactive materials, much of which is likely kept in a vast complex of underground facilities.

Past nuclear deals have crumbled over North Korea's reluctance to open its doors to outsiders.

But one result of the summit could be the opening of a McDonald's in North Korea as a reward and security guarantee for cutting back its nuclear ambitions.

Chung-in Moon, a special adviser to South Korean president Moon Jae-in, recently revealed that North Korea wants American investments to deliver a boost to the nation's economy.

Officials from Kim's regime said they would view American investments as a vital guarantee to their country's security at a dinner that followed the recent historic summit between Kim and Moon.

Chung-in suggested the fast food chain - a symbol of American culture and power - and a Trump hotel could be businesses that open in Pyongchang.

Another possibility from the summit is a deal to end the Korean War, which North Korea has long demanded, presumably, in part, to get US troops off the Korean Peninsula and, eventually, pave the way for a North Korean-led unified Korea.

The Singapore Flyer is pictured behind a policeman standing outside the International Media Centre at the Formula One pit building in Singapore

A security tent is set up at the entrance to the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore ahead of the historic summit on Tuesday

Members of the US Secret Service Counter Sniper Team wait outside the lobby of the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore

Some Secret Service members walk to board a van at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore on Sunday ahead of Trump's arrival

The fighting ended on July 27, 1953, but the war technically continues today because instead of a difficult-to-negotiate peace treaty, military officers for the US-led United Nations, North Korea and China signed an armistice that halted the fighting.

The North may see a treaty - and its presumed safety assurances from Washington - as its best way of preserving the Kim family dynasty.

The ensuing recognition as a 'normal country' could then allow sanctions relief, and later international aid and investment.

Kim may also be interested in getting aid and eventual investment to stabilise and then rebuild a crumbling economy.

Just meeting with Trump will also give Kim recognition as the leader of a 'normal' country and as an equal of the US leader.