Relationship dossier
North Korea
Singapore
Relationship assessment
High-level engagement coexists with Singapore’s restrictions on North Korea-related trade and travel
North Korea toward Singapore
+15North Korea engaged Singaporean leaders during the June 2018 summit in Singapore, including a meeting between Kim Jong Un and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The extent of other direct North Korean cooperation with Singapore is unclear.
Singapore toward North Korea
+5Singapore hosted the June 2018 summit involving Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump and received Kim for a meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Singapore also restricted trade and travel connected to North Korea in line with international sanctions.
Overall relationship
+5The relationship has included high-level engagement, most visibly around the 2018 summit hosted by Singapore, but it is constrained by Singapore's implementation of international sanctions affecting North Korea-related trade and travel. The breadth of bilateral cooperation beyond these episodes is unclear.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
North Korea and Singapore have maintained diplomatic ties alongside limited high-level engagement. Singapore hosted the June 2018 summit between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump, with Kim also meeting Singapore's prime minister. Singapore later restricted trade and travel connected to North Korea in line with international sanctions, creating a relationship that combines summit-era engagement with significant constraints.
Areas of tension
- Singapore's restrictions on North Korea-related trade under international sanctions
- Restrictions on travel between Singapore and North Korea
Key developments
Singapore hosted the summit between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump; Kim also met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Singapore restricted trade and travel connected to North Korea in line with international sanctions.
Major uncertainties
- The scope of direct bilateral cooperation beyond high-level meetings is unclear.
- The implementation and current extent of Singapore's trade and travel restrictions are uncertain.