As reported by Reuters, a senior North Korean official in Washington D.C. for talks about the upcoming summit in June, but discussions revolving around nuclear capabilities show the two countries are still far apart on goals and expectations.
Kim Yong Chol is due to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss whether to go ahead with an unprecedented meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim. The summit, originally planned for June 12 in Singapore, has been cast in doubt as the two countries – which have technically been at war since the 1950s – test each other’s diplomatic mettle. Trump last week called off the summit after North Korea expressed anger at comments by senior U.S. officials. But Trump later said he was reconsidering his position and U.S., North Korean and South Korean officials have gone ahead with summit preparations anyway.
The White House said on Wednesday that negotiations at the demilitarized zone along the border between North and South Korea for the summit were going well and that it expects the historic meeting to take place on June 12. A U.S. official said negotiations about the summit’s agenda have so far been slow going, and the two fundamental issues, the definition of North Korean denuclearization and whether both sides would take actions at the same time or separately, remained unsettled.
– Reuters
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