Our top story this morning...<br />One of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's right-hand man is en route to New York City for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as the two sides appear to be closing in on a summit next month.<br /> Kim Yong-chol's visit comes as multi-layered meetings are taking place in three different locations to set the agenda for the summit and the regime's denuclearization.<br />Kim Hyo-sun tells us more. <br /> The White House confirmed Tuesday that senior North Korean official Kim Yong-chol is set to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week.<br />This comes after President Trump tweeted that Kim, Vice Chairman of the North's Workers' Party is heading to New York City.<br />Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency says Pompeo and Kim will either meet for a day on Wednesday or for two days until Thursday. <br /> They are expected to discuss the issue of denuclearization and the security of the Kim Jong-un regime.<br />Diplomatic sources say they will have an opportunity to reaffirm their determination for denuclearization and ensuring the security for Kim Jong-un's regime while working on the final coordinations before the leaders of the two countries meet face-to-face. <br />Both Pompeo and Kim Yong-chol are close aides to Trump and Kim Jong-un, respectively,... and have laid the groundwork for a North Korea-U.S. summit. <br /> While Pompeo visited the North earlier this month,... Kim Yong-chol is the first high-level North Korean official to visit the U.S. in 18 years. <br />Therefore,... there's speculation Kim Yong-chol may even meet with President Trump to deliver a letter from the North Korean leader,... just as Pompeo met with Kim Jong-un as the special envoy of the U.S. president. <br />White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also said senior Trump administration officials are directly coordinating with their North Korean counterparts in Singapore and the Korean demilitarized zone.<br /> Kim Chang-son,... the de-facto chief of staff of Kim Jong-un has reportedly met with Joe Hagin, a White House deputy chief of staff in Singapore to discuss the specific date and logistics of a North Korea-U.S. summit. <br /> This is being carried out simultaneously with the discussions involving the nuclear negotiators from both countries,... Sung Kim, the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines and Choe Sun-hui, the regime's vice foreign minister.<br /> Meanwhile,... Singapore's presidential palace,... also known as the Istana,... could host the historic summit.<br />This is according to South Korean newspaper JoongAng Ilbo daily,... which quoted unnamed sources as saying it could be the venue considering the meeting's magnitude and sensitivity. <br />Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News. <br />
