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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (left) is greeted by Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir in Riyadh on Jan. 13 during the former’s Middle East tour.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that planning is underway on the specifics of the second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. Pompeo is expected to meet with Kim Yong-chol, vice-chairman of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and head of the WPK’s United Front Department, as early as this week to prepare for holding the summit.

During a video interview with CBS while Pompeo was visiting Dubai on Jan. 13, the CBS host observed that White House National Security Advisor John Bolton said that the second North Korea-US summit would take place in January or February and asked when Trump and Kim would be sitting down together. Pompeo responded by saying, “We’re working out the details.”

“We can’t know for sure what’s going on in the deliberations between North Korea and the US, but [what Pompeo mentioned] is probably the specifics of the agenda, time and location,” said a diplomatic source who is familiar with the North Korea-US negotiations.

Pompeo’s remarks are taken to reflect a shift in the atmosphere in North Korea about preparing for a second summit.

“Just two or three weeks ago, North Korea wasn’t responding [to American requests for talks], but [this year] sincere communication appears to have taken place,” the diplomatic source in Washington, DC, said.

North Korea reportedly declined to answer the US’ requests for high-level and working-level talks through the end of 2018 because the US had not agreed to the method of negotiations proposed by the North. Therefore, the fact that North Korea has broken its silence and indicated its willingness to deliberate is taken as a signal that it’s ready to engage in high-level talks with the US. This is also consistent with Kim’s affirmation of his willingness to hold a second summit which he expressed during his New Year’s address and his fourth visit to China.

Diplomatic sources think that the North Korea-US high-level talks that were scheduled to be held in New York on Nov. 8, 2018, and then suddenly delayed at the request of North Korea are likely to be held this time in New York. The talks are expected to take place after Pompeo returns home from his tour of the Middle East on Jan. 16 and as early as the latter half of this week.

“My understanding is that [the high-level talks will be held] once the North Koreans give a [definite] answer. It could be as early as this week,” said a source in the South Korean government.

By Kim Ji-eun, staff reporter, and Hwang Joon-bum, Washington correspondent

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