United States President Donald Trump broke his own big meeting news with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on his own Twitter account on May 10, 2018

He wrote that the US-North Korea summit will be taking place in Singapore on June 12, 2018.

Singapore is pleased to host the meeting

In response to this announcement, Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement saying it is pleased to host the high-profile meeting here.

The timing of the release of the MFA statement suggests it might have been prepared in advance to coincide with Trump's tweet, which contained details previously not made public before.

The MFA statement might even have been coordinated beforehand with US officials, although this cannot be independently confirmed at this time.

This is what MFA statement said in full:

"Singapore is pleased to host the meeting between President of the United States Donald J Trump and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un on 12 June 2018.

We hope this meeting will advance prospects for peace in the Korean Peninsula."

Why Singapore?

According to The Guardian, Singapore is favoured by US officials for two reasons: Its neutrality for both leaders and infrastructure.

The city-state once famously hostedChinese President Xi Jinping’s historic 2015 meeting with then-Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou.

Trump was also reported to prefer Singapore over Mongolia as it can fulfil his desire for a “glamorous location”.

[related_story]

Singapore is also one of just 47 countries to host a North Korea embassy, and has long been seen as a gateway between the West and Asia.

The Guardian quoted a former state department official, who worked on the Korean negotiations, vouching for Singapore as the best choice:

“... Singapore is a very valued US partner and a remarkable city-state that punches many times above its weight.”