North Korean Vice Chairman Kim Yong Chol arrived in New York City on Wednesday, and held his first meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the evening. Officials say the two will be meeting for more substantive talks on Thursday.
The expectation is that the talks will center heavily on reviving the summit between President Trump and Kim Jong-un, which Trump cancelled last week. There have been previous meetings between US and North Korean officials on the matter.
Kim Yong Chol is a former Intelligence Minister for North Korea who has served in all three Kims’ governments, and is considered one of Kim Jong-un’s most trusted aides. He is the highest profile North Korean official to visit the US in years.
Trump’s cancellation of the summit last week came as a surprise to many. He has subsequently suggested he might yet reverse that decision, and has praise North Korea’s calm reaction to the news. North Korea has insisted they’re waiting on Trump to change his mind.
South Korean officials say they believe “quite significant” differences remain between the US and North Korea on key issues, particularly denuclearization. The Trump Administration is insisting North Korea must complete denuclearization before it gets any sanctions relief, while North Korea is hoping for something for agreeing to a full denuclearization. President Trump had previously admitted full denuclearization would need to be done in stages, given the size of the North Korean program, but is still withholding what he’ll give North Korea for doing so.
What a shame that the two Koreas can’t simply work this out on their own, but as Saddam and Gaddafi show (among a very long list), the US can’t be trusted to not simply invade and butcher whomever they wish, whenever they wish, all with the full support of the rest of the world.