Kim Yong-chol, a vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, is the highest-ranking official to visit the US in nearly 20 years
A high-ranking North Korean official arrived in New York on Wednesday after flying in from Beijing to hold talks with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, as both sides accelerate the pace of preparations for a possible summit between their leaders.
Kim Yong-chol – a vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea – is the highest-ranking North Korean official to visit the United States in almost two decades. His arrival at Beijing’s main airport and departure to New York were confirmed by Kyodo News.
Pompeo is scheduled to make a two-day trip to New York through Thursday to meet with the right-hand man of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, according to State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert.
“The Secretary and Vice-Chairman Kim will discuss preparations for President Trump’s expected summit with Chairman Kim Jong-un in Singapore,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.
The upcoming meeting heightens expectations for an unprecedented summit between US President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader in Singapore in June.
Senior officials of the two countries, which have no diplomatic ties, were separately dispatched to the truce village of Panmunjeom, which divides the two Koreas, and Singapore for meetings to narrow down substantive and logistical issues ahead of the planned summit.
