Senior North Korean Officials Preparing for Trump-Kim Meeting

According to reports from South Korean and Japanese state media, senior officials close to the North Korean leader have traveled to China and Singapore and are also expected to hold talks in the United States. These trips appear to be related to a potential meeting between the U.S. President and the North Korean leader in Singapore. South Korea's state news agency reported that Kim Yong-chol, deputy head of the Workers' Party of Korea's Central Committee and former head of its intelligence agency, is heading to the U.S. for talks with American officials. He is currently in China, and as reported by Yonhap, his next destination will be New York. It seems that Kim Yong-chol's trip is in response to meetings with Mike Pompeo, the then CIA chief and current Secretary of State in the Trump administration. An Associated Press reporter spotted Kim Yong-chol at Beijing airport. The South Korean presidential office has neither confirmed nor denied these reports. Reuters states that due to sanctions imposed on North Korea, Kim Yong-chol is unable to travel to the U.S., suggesting that the current potential visit indicates that some restrictions have been suspended. On May 22, a UN Security Council committee agreed to lift the travel ban on North Korean officials to Singapore. Meanwhile, Japanese state television NHK reported that Kim Chang-son, one of North Korea's main advisors, departed from Beijing to Singapore on Monday. NHK also noted that on the same day, a U.S. delegation, including the deputy chief of staff of the White House, traveled from Japan to Singapore. In recent days, particularly since the start of this week, reports and statements have emerged that have increased the likelihood of a planned meeting in Singapore between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. The initial meeting was supposed to take place on June 12 in Singapore, but after some exchanges of remarks and criticisms between senior officials of the two countries, Mr. Trump suspended it. It is still not officially clear whether this meeting will definitely take place and if the date will be the same as previously announced. On the morning of Tuesday, May 29, delegations from Washington and Pyongyang continued discussions that had begun two days earlier. South Korea's state news agency reported that the parties presented their ideas and proposals and were scheduled to enter details on Tuesday, 'after a one-day break.' It seems one of the main disagreements relates to the parties' approaches regarding the method and manner of denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. government is demanding complete, irreversible, and verifiable denuclearization from North Korea. South Korean media report that the U.S. is also seeking the removal of nuclear warheads from North Korea. However, reports and statements from Pyongyang officials indicate that North Korea opposes or objects to unilateral disarmament and seeks to pursue a 'phased and simultaneous' process, meaning that the step-by-step halt of its nuclear-military program should be accompanied by the suspension and cessation of sanctions.