After weeks of speculation,... it finally seems as though U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will likely meet his North Korean counterpart in New York next week,... to continue discussions on a potential second summit between their leaders.
Lee Seung-jae reports.
With the highly anticipated second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump set to take place in the near future,... the top U.S. diplomat Mike Pompeo is due to meet with his North Korean counterpart sometime next week in New York.
According to multiple diplomatic sources in Seoul and Washington, the high-level talks are being planned for around November 9th,... after the U.S. midterm elections,... and ahead of President Trump's trip to France.
While it's still unclear which North Korean official will meet with Pompeo,... sources say Kim Yong-chol, a top aide to the North Korean leader appears most likely.
Kim Yong-chol and Pompeo previously met in New York in May,... after Trump called off the first planned summit with the North Korean leader.
That meeting,... along with Kim Yong-chol's visit to the White House led to the historic first summit between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. on June 12th in Singapore.
Hopes are high that the planned meeting between Pompeo and his North Korean counterpart will give everyone a clearer picture on when and where the next Pyeongyang-Washington summit will be.
This comes as,... U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton said earlier this month,... that the second summit will likely happen early next year.
As Kim Jong-un committed to work toward the "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula at the first summit,... sources say the second summit could lead to discussions in ways to realize Pyeongyang's stated commitment,... including the North Korean leader's invitation of international inspectors to the regime's nuclear testing site in Punggye-ri.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.