A delegation from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) arrived in Singapore on Monday for a summit preparatory meeting with the US side.
Kim Chang-son, a senior official of DPRK’s State Affairs Commission, is leading the delegation to discuss the logistics and security issues for its leader Kim Jong-un’s upcoming summit with US President Donald Trump, which is expected to be held on June 12.
The delegation flew to Singapore via Beijing on Monday night. Witness on the same flight said they saw two DPRK officials in business class with camera men and the delegation could leave from VIP channel.
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Joe Hagin, who leads the US delegation, also arrived in the city state on Monday.
The two delegations are expected to meet as early as Tuesday.
“I understand that the two sides will meet in Singapore on May 29 and hold consultations over such practical issues as the concrete summit date, venue, protocol and security,” a diplomatic source told Yonhap.
Tuesday’s talks are running in parallel with separate discussions at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom.
The delegations are led by US ambassador to Seoul Sung Kim, a former chief US nuclear envoy, and DPRK’s Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui.
The two sides reported to have been discussing denuclearization methods and timelines as well as ways to ensure DPRK’s security, according to Yonhap.
Should the discussions proceed well, Kim Yong Chol, a vice central committee chairman of DPRK’s ruling Workers’ Party, could meet US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for final coordination, possibly in Washington, observers said.
