China offers flight for Kim Jong

By Lee Min-hyung

Air China's Boeing 747-4J6

China has offered a flight for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, who arrived in Singapore Sunday for a summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, according to a flight route tracker.

Flightradar24 shows that an Air China plane arrived in Pyongyang at 6:20 a.m. on Sunday before leaving for Beijing two hours later.

But the Boeing 747-4J6 suddenly changed its flight designation from CA122 to CA61 and its route to Singapore's Changi Airport.

Kim's private Chammae-1 aircraft is a remodeled version of a Soviet-made IL-62 jet, production of which started in the 1960s and stopped in 1995. For safety reasons, it was expected that the young leader might take another aircraft possibly provided by China or Singapore.

D-2: Kim Jong-un arrives in Singapore 2018-06-10 15:52  |  North Korea
Other planes from North Korea carried delegates and cargo.

Given that the Boeing 747-4J6 in question is used mainly as a private jet for China's highest-ranking officials such as President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, reports say it is likely that the Chinese government offered the plane for Kim's Singapore visit.

Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong would meet Kim Jong-un on Sunday ahead of the June 12 Washington-Pyongyang summit.

Trump, who is also expected to arrive in Singapore Sunday night, plans to meet the Singaporean prime minister Monday.

On Tuesday, Trump and Kim will hold the first U.S.-North Korea summit, after which both sides are expected to announce a series of denuclearization agreements.