President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that a top North Korean official is headed to the U.S. to discuss next month’s potential summit.
The senior official, Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Central Committee, is scheduled to arrive in New York on Wednesday.
“We have put a great team together for our talks with North Korea. Meetings are currently taking place concerning Summit, and more,” Trump tweeted. “Kim Young Chol, the Vice Chairman of North Korea, heading now to New York. Solid response to my letter, thank you!”
We have put a great team together for our talks with North Korea. Meetings are currently taking place concerning Summit, and more. Kim Young Chol, the Vice Chairman of North Korea, heading now to New York. Solid response to my letter, thank you!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 29, 2018
The summit, originally planned for June 12 in Singapore, appears to be back on track after Trump cancelled last week following incendiary comments from Pyongyang.
North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui had called Vice President Mike Pence a “political dummy” for repeating Trump’s threats to treat Pyongyang like Libya if it refused to denuclearize.
The White House also revealed that North Korean officials had stopped answering their calls and failed to appear for a pre-summit meeting in Singapore.
Hours after the cancellation Trump indicated the meeting could still potentially take place following a response from Pyongyang.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also held an impromptu meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in this weekend at the Demilitarized Zone to converse on plans moving forward.
Kim Yong Chol, who is often pictured at Kim’s side, attended both meetings with Moon, met Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during his visit to Pyongyang and was among the delegation at the Winter Olympics.
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