Sultan of Brunei books half of Busan's poshest hotel

Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah gets out of his airplane, which he piloted from Brunei to the Kimhae Airport, South Gyeongsang Province, Thursday. / Yonhap

By Kim Hyo-jin

The Sultan of Brunei rented out half of a luxury hotel in Busan for the two days of the ASEAN-Korea Commemorative Summit, according to an industry source.

The source said Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, accompanied by 12 princes and princesses, booked 119 rooms. The sultan stayed in a presidential suite measuring 654 square meters, with a spectacular ocean view, which costs 10 million won per day.

“We were informed of the Sultan’s stay by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs a few months ago,” said a hotel spokesperson, denying that the hotel placed the sultan ahead of Thailand’s prime minister.

But she refused to confirm the number of rooms the sultan’s entourage occupied.

For a summit with President Park Geun-hye on Tuesday he flew his own plane to Seoul. He then flew back to Brunei, before returning to Busan for the ASEAN-Korea summit.

Bolkiah is one of the world's longest-serving monarchs, having assumed the throne in 1967. He often tops the list of the world’s richest men, with $40 billion in personal wealth. His sultanate, one of only two remaining in the world, boasts $40,000 per capita GDP thanks to oil and gas production.