FOLLOW US

High ranking North Korean and American officials are having full-day meetings on Thursday in New York. These meetings are going to decide whether President Trump and the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, are going to have a summit.

Mike Pompeo is the Secretary of State. Kim Yong Cho is a former military intelligence chief of North Korea. The two met and had a dinner on Wednesday night. Pompeo came from Washington and Kim from Beijing.

Unusual Visit

This is the highest ranking North Korean visit to the U.S. in 18 years.

Kim Yong Chol is one of the North Korean leader’s closest allies. He landed Wednesday afternoon. He came with an Air China flight from Beijing.

Pompeo and Kim had a dinner together that lasted for about an hour and a half during this unusual visit. According to the White House, Kim and Pompeo planned a day full of meetings on Thursday. They will discuss and determine if a summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un is going to happen.

The summit was originally meant to be held on June 12. But Trump canceled it later. He said that the North Koreans were not genuine in wanting to meet. Kim and Pompeo, however, are going to discuss if they can restore plans for the meeting.

The U.S. is Prepared

The meeting is another step in the preparation for the summit in Singapore. The two want to conclude if both countries are determined for the summit to happen. As Pompeo and Kim met in New York, other teams from the U.S. are meeting with North Korean officials in Singapore. This is a highly fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House spokeswoman, said that if the meeting happens, the U.S. is going to be ready. She added that the U.S. is going to continue to look forward June 12^th.

Questions from the American People:

• What assurances did Trump give Pompeo to pass on to Chol? What does Kim Jong Un need to hear to go through with the meeting?
• Similarly, what assurances does Trump need to go through with the meeting?
• Are all of these meetings political posturing to save face or establish dominance?