The White House gave a respectful public greeting Friday to a top North Korean official bearing a letter from leader Kim Jong-un for President Trump, as both sides seek to restart a denuclearization summit.
North Korean vice chairman Kim Yong-chol arrived by car at the formal diplomatic entrance to the White House on the South Lawn, a setting usually reserved for the arrival of important allies. He was greeted by White House chief of staff John F. Kelly, who then escorted him along the Rose Garden collonade for a West Wing meeting with the president.
It’s the first visit to the White House by a North Korean official since 2000.
The North Korean arrived from New York City, where he wrapped up two days of meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as the two nations try to get the summit back on track. It was scheduled for June 12 in Singapore, until Mr. Trump canceled it last week over Pyongyang’s “open hostility” toward the U.S.
The U.S. wants North Korea to commit to “complete, verifiable and irreversible” abandonment of its nuclear weapons and missile programs.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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