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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about American missile defense doctrine, Friday, Jan. 18 (KST), at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. AP-Yonhap

By Kim Yoo-chul

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is wishing for a breakthrough in advancing talks aimed at disbanding his regime's nuclear program as he hopes to avoid more confrontation, a Cheong Wa Dae official told The Korea Times, Friday.

"Kim Yong-chol, Pyongyang's lead negotiator in denuclearization with the United States, plans to deliver a handwritten letter from Kim Jong-un to U.S. President Donald Trump during his few hours in the United States," the official said by telephone asking not to be identified.

Details of the letter have yet to be known. But the soon-to-be-delivered letter included "more detailed plans" by North Korea toward dismantling its nuclear arsenal and reaffirmation by its leader to move forward with Pyongyang's roadmap on how to gradually retire its hypersonic and cruise missiles, according to the official.

The North's negotiator arrived in Washington early Friday (KST) for expected talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a possible encounter with Trump aimed at laying the groundwork for a second Trump-Kim summit.

The Cheong Wa Dae official said the North's negotiator is set to visit the White House on early Saturday, Jan. 19 (KST), probably a sign of potential strong movement in a last-minute diplomatic effort that has appeared stalled for months.

The timing of the North Korean negotiator's visit to the U.S. capital is interesting to see, according to political analysts in Seoul, as Trump unveiled Washington's readjusted missile defense strategy that mentioned North Korea as an "ongoing and extraordinary threat."

It's been said Trump may announce the place and date for his second in-person meeting with his North Korean counterpart once the North Korean envoy leaves Washington.

The Vietnamese city of Hanoi is speculated as the venue for the next Kim-Trump meeting given the North's apparent zeal to learn from Vietnam's experience in building relations with the United States. Communist-dominated Vietnam has good relations with both the United States and North Korea. The Vietnamese city of Danang is tapped as another possible location for the United States-North Korea summit.

North Korean official Kim Yong-chol prepares to depart from Beijing International Airport in China, Jan. 17 (KST). Kim arrived in Beijing on Thursday, en route to the United States for talks ahead of a possible summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. AP-Yonhap

On a related note, South Korea's spy chief Suh Hoon held a meeting behind closed doors last week with CIA Director Gina Haspel in Washington, according to sources familiar with the matter.

"The meeting lasted three hours and they discussed ways to coordinate and encounter scenarios that need to be fine-tuned ahead of the upcoming second Trump-Kim summit," one of the sources said.

In a New Year press conference, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said he will try to persuade the United States and North Korea to yield each of their "conditions or prerequisites" in some degree to move forward with the nuclear disarmament talks.

"The United States knows what North Korea wants, and vice versa. It's possible Washington and Pyongyang may reach a package deal, under which North Korea may hand over an inventory list of its nuclear arsenal and the United States may offer some sanctions exemptions. My role is how to mediate and facilitate the talks," Moon told reporters.

Presidential spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said Kim Jong-un's visit to Seoul will come sometime in the first quarter of this year.

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