North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is worried about travelling to Singapore on June 12 -- if the meeting eventually takes place here.

However, him having to leave his country would present an opportunity for something happening back home when he is not around, or he might be threatened because he is out of his own safe zone.

Kim is not known to travel overseas and has only been to China since becoming leader in 2011.

Unlikely but possible coup

Kim is reportedly concerned that his departure could mean that he would be exposed to a military coup or other possible means to usurp his reign as Supreme Leader of North Korea.

It doesn't help that some talk of the Libyan model as if it could be replicated, which is something that North Korea officials are wary of.

This is in reference to what happened to Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed by his own people in 2011 via a Western-supported rebel militia that secured areas that were once under his reign.

This fear is further intensified with leading American political figures suggesting that it may happen again, including United States vice president Mike Pence and national security adviser John Bolton.

As @POTUS Trump made clear, this will only end like the Libya model ended if Kim Jong-un doesn't make a deal. pic.twitter.com/wE68qh8u25

— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) May 22, 2018

Insecure

It may seem startling, but it suggests that Kim may be afraid, or somehow insecure about his power, as with dictatorships similar to his.

Or it could equally be a foreign narrative conjured out of a smidgen of evidence.

But if North Korea indeed cancels or pull out from the talks, it wouldn't be their first time doing so.

The high-level dialogue with Seoul originally set for last week was suspended as North Korea said that the joint military exercise between Seoul and Washington was a rehearsal for invasion and an act of provocation.

Beyond that, there are concerns on the nitty gritty aviation details, such as whether the North Koreans are able to secure the amount of fuel needed to come to Singapore, which is 4,947km away.

Trump, however, has been assured that Kim's safety is guaranteed and he would remain in power to decide on the denuclearisation of North Korea, though it has been suggested that perhaps the North Korean has no intention of giving up his nuclear arsenal.

Will they come or not?

On May 22 (Singapore time), Trump received South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in at the White House to discuss the US-North Korea summit.

Moon had pushed to make sure that preparations for the summit were on track, confident that Trump could somehow, within the meeting with Kim, to conclude a deal that would end the Korean War formally, while allowing North Korea to prosper and bringing it peace.

South Korea’s national security adviser, Chung Eui-yong, once again reiterated that the summit between the two leaders was still “99.9 percent” likely to happen.

When Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s met Kim for the second time, however, it seemed that two countries were on different pages. While Pompeo spoke about an efficient, thorough denuclearisation plan, Kim was more concerned with the logistics and the guarantee of security in the long run from the US.

While US officials are working to ensure that everyone's operating at the same frequencies, there is still a possibility that at the last minute, things still don't work out, even though there's confidence that the summit will eventually come to fruition.

Whether or not the two volatile leaders will eventually meet in Singapore, this is indeed the closest we've been in terms of progress.

Let's hope they won't blow this opportunity.

H/T Business Insider, The Washington Post

Top image via ABC News (Australia) YouTube

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