WASHINGTON: North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un´s right-hand man met with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Friday to deliver a letter from his leader that could pave the way to a historic nuclear summit.Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of North Korea´s ruling party executive and a veteran regime insider, arrived for his Oval Office encounter accompanied by the Senior US officials who have overseen an extraordinary diplomatic opening.Both sides have committed themselves to the "denuclearization" of the Korean peninsula, but it is far from clear if Trump´s mission to secure Pyongyang´s complete disarmament can be aligned with Kim´s quest to win international respect and protection.On Thursday, after talks with Kim Yong Chol in New York, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed confidence that the process was moving in the right direction, but warned that the North´s young leader must be bold enough to make a "strategic shift" in understanding that he will be safer without nuclear weapons.On the same day in Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un told Russia´s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov that his commitment to denuclearization remains "unchanged and consistent and fixed," but experts warn that he will likely seek deep concessions from Washington.In particular, he wants a formal end to the Korean conflict and is likely to seek international recognition and guarantees against any strike by the US forces stationed across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in South Korea.US officials said that at the White House, Kim Yong Chol would deliver a letter that may not clear up all the questions about the agenda but may bring the planned Singapore meeting a step closer.
06-02-2018, 05:56 PM
Senior N Korean envoy at White House amid summit prep
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