SINGAPORE played host to a historic meeting between United States (US) President Donald Trump and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader Kim Jong Un on June 12.
Home Team officers played a crucial part in organizing the summit and ensuring its security. Despite short notice and the complexities of such a multilayered security operation, the officers were focused, determined and resourceful. For many, their duties were simply an extension of what they do every day: keeping Singapore safe and secure.
They played an essential role in the historic US-DPRK summit in Singapore: from ensuring the safe passage of world leaders and international guests to securing borders as well as key summit venues.
From planning and securing the grounds to being on standby and reinforcing checkpoints, Home Team officers shared their experiences of the summit. Here are some of their stories:
At the heart of the operation
“I’M a senior staff officer in the Operations Department of the Singapore Civil Defense Force [SCDF]. On a day-to-day basis, I help manage its involvement in contingency situations. The summit was just one of major events that I’ve been involved since I joined the Operations Department.
“During the summit, I was deployed as an operations officer at the Home Team Event Command Post [HTECP]. My job was to monitor the movement of SCDF’s resources that were on standby on the ground, and to ensure that our contingency plans were carried out accordingly in response to any incident. I also helped to channel information from the HTECP to our ground forces, and vice versa.
“There was a great sense of team spirit and determination within the HTECP. It felt great to contribute to such a historic event, especially when you’d been part of the planning with other Home Team officers from the very start. It’s gratifying to see everything fall into place.” Captain Jonathan Yuen Ze Ming, 30, Singapore Civil Defense Force
Team SG in action
“AS a staff officer [ground operations] with Immigration & Checkpoints Authority Airport Command, my day-to-day role involves coordinating operations across the airport community to ensure effective and efficient immigration clearance for travelers using [the] Changi Airport. This involves working with many different stakeholders to ensure our travelers have a great ‘Changi’ experience.
“I felt honored to play a small part in this special event for world peace. During the summit, I was part of the secretariat team at airport command, which coordinated the immigration clearance process for delegates from the US and DPRK. We worked with officers from the Singapore Police Force, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore to ensure that the processes went smoothly.
“I feel proud to represent the Home Team in coordinating these efforts. The summit gave us the opportunity to show our resilience and creativity in resolving issues. This made us more responsive to changes in the dynamic environment that the Home Team operates in.” Inspector Reshma Nair, 33, Immigration & Checkpoints Authority
Securing Sentosa
“I’M a team leader at Bukit Merah West Neighbourhood Police Centre. As [such], I manage a team of 24 officers who respond to 999 calls on a daily basis. We also handle any public order and security situations that arise within our jurisdiction.
“During the summit, I was a Sector IC based at Capella Singapore on Sentosa. My team was responsible for managing the access points of the hotel, and it was our job to ensure the security of the delegates and principals who used these points.”
“We were well-prepared for the deployment and [at the same time] excited and glad to do our part in this historic process. I’m grateful to serve and I think I learned a lot from the whole experience.
“We were very focused on what we had to do. On some occasions, I did have the opportunity to interact with American and North Korean officials, [as well as] shared with them about Singapore’s attractions. They were interested in learning where to find the best chili crab and satay, so I told them some places to check out!” Inspector 2 Chua Xin Yi, 28, Singapore Police Force
Ready to respond
“I’M a paramedic by vocation. In my daily duties, I serve as an emergency medical services [EMS] officer in charge based at Paya Lebar Fire Station, where I oversee operational matters such as deployment, logistics and training.”
“This was the first time I had been deployed for such a prolonged standby. During the summit, I was stationed at the St. Regis Singapore, where the North Korean delegates stayed during their time in Singapore. Our responsibility was to provide medical assistance in the event of an emergency. Other EMS teams were deployed to attend to noncontingency incidents within the same area.”
“I learned to stay alert by pacing myself, so that I can respond quickly, regardless of the time of situation. We knew our roles very well and I feel proud to play my part. It’s really exhilarating to contribute to [ensure] the success of the summit.” Warrant Officer 1 Sharifah Muslimah Lili Binte Ahmad Nassir, 36, Singapore Civil Defence Force
Forging new connections
BEFORE the DPRK-USA Singapore Summit, the extent of Inspector NS Gim Joo Hyung’s experience as a translator had been “describing K-dramas and variety shows” to his friends.
Now, not only has the 25-year-old undergraduate sharpened his proficiency in Korean; he also received invitations to visit North Korea’s capital of Pyongyang to eat naengmyeon or cold noodles, a popular local dish.
It all started a week before the summit, when the Police Coast Guard National Serviceman received a call from his reservist unit. He was recalled to serve as a translator for the Singapore Police Force.
Despite being a native Korean speaker, Gim still found it a challenge. “It’s like Teochew and Hokkien; the North and South versions of Korean are very similar—almost 99 percent [alike]—except for the accent, and the fact that North Koreans speak faster,” he said.
“Also, some words that South Koreans don’t use much, North Koreans use more commonly, like ‘comrade.’ Then there were the more technical words that we don’t really use in daily life. I didn’t know how to say ‘convoy’, or reference each car in a convoy, for example.”
Gim eventually figured these out by consulting his Korean mother and speaking with North Korean delegates from an advance party who were “very surprised” to find out he could speak fluent Korean. When asked, he shared his heritage, “and they were cool about it.”
His job was to facilitate discussions between SPF officers and the North Korean delegates. “If there’s a language barrier and no one is there to facilitate, misunderstandings can arise,” he said. “But once our team was there, everything worked out.”
The summit also gave Gim an opportunity to realize that the common perceptions of North Koreans were different from what he had experienced. “The delegates that I spoke to were very nice.” He recalled, “After the summit, they thanked us, and showed their appreciation for our efforts as hosts.”
Then came an unexpected invitation. “They shook my hand, thanked me and invited me to Pyongyang to eat naengmyeon,” he said. “So, if the SPF has a reason to visit North Korea, I’d gladly go if needed.”
Ready by first light
FOR Warrant Officer 1 Zulkasyfi Bin Yunos, an emergency medical technician from the SCDF, the summit was a showcase of the Home Team spirit.
While there were trying times, especially for WO1 Zulkasyfi as the summit fell during the fasting month of Ramadan, the deployment was an unforgettable one, not least because it allowed him to catch a glimpse of Trump.
WO1 Zulkasyfi was part of a Fire Medical Vehicle crew that was attached to the US President’s convoy, which stretched over 30 vehicles. That meant early-morning starts and a 24-hour standby duty.
He ate his pre-dawn meal before reporting for duty. “It was tough, especially at 12 in the afternoon, when the sun was really hot,” he recalled. “We only had our own vehicles for shelter, and we endured it because that’s what we’re trained to do during standby.”
Duty came first for Zulkasyfi and his fellow officers, and team spirit was the order of the day. “As a first responder, such operations can be a challenge, but we’re trained for this,” he recounted.
Recalling the excitement of the summit, what stood out for WO1 Zulkasyfi was the commitment of the officers on duty. “The coordination between all our Home Team counterparts was fantastic,” he said. “Even though this was a last-minute assignment, as one Home Team, we really worked together.”
Image credits: Ministry of home Affairs, Republic of Singapore