Kim Yong-chol, a former spy chief, will play a key role in preparations for the US-North Korea summit meeting
When Kim Yong-chol lands in New York this week, he will become the most senior North Korean envoy to hold talks with American officials on US soil in 18 years.
The former spy chief is a trusted adviser to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and will play a pivotal role in preparations for a summit meeting between Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump.
In a sign of his importance, Trump announced Kim Yong-chol’s New York trip on Twitter on Tuesday. The North Korean is expected to fly to the United States on Wednesday after speaking to Chinese officials in Beijing, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency said, citing an unidentified source.
The White House said he would meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later in the week. It will be the most high-level contact between the two countries in the United States since Jo Myong-rok, a vice-marshal, met President Bill Clinton at the White House in 2000.
Kim Yong-chol, who holds the rank of general, is vice-chairman of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Committee and director of the United Front Department, which is responsible for relations with South Korea. His many positions in party and government make him one of the most powerful people in North Korea, according to the website North Korea Leadership Watch.
