According to CNN, U.S. President Donald Trump sent a letter to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un over the weekend.
Citing a source familiar with the ongoing denuclearization talks between the two, CNN on Tuesday reported the letter was flown all the way to Pyeongyang and delivered "by hand".
It is not clear what the letter is about,
but the two leaders have been exchanging letters in the past few weeks.
Kim allegedly sent one late last year,
which Trump referred to as a "great letter" and replied.
While the leaders are actively exchanging letters,
CNN's source also said the vice chairman of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party Central Committee, Kim Yong-chol could visit the U.S.
as early as this week to finalize details of the upcoming second Pyeongyang-Washington summit,
which is highly expected to take place sometime next month.
Kim and his counterpart U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo were supposed to hold talks last November,
but Pyeongyang postponed them due to "scheduling issues."
Although speculations are rising that high-level talks between Kim and Pompeo could take place this week,
the White House is yet to give any official comment,
according to Reuters on Tuesday
while a State Department official said
there is no meeting to announce.
Meanwhile, North Korea's vice foreign minister Choe Son-hui arrived in Beijing Tuesday morning.
Seoul-based Yonhap News Agency quoted Choe as saying,
when asked about North Korea-U.S. talks,
that she was on her way to Sweden for an international conference.
While it is unclear which conference Choe was referring to,speculations are mounting that
she could be sitting down with U.S. officials to prepare for the 2nd Kim-Trump summit.
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The U.S. State Department has played down reports that
high-level talks between North Korea and the United States
will take place in the coming days,
saying no dates have been set.
This came after South Korean news outlet YTN asked department officials to confirm reports
that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and
North Korea's Kim Yong-chol will meet this Thursday and Friday.
A Seoul-based newspaper reported on Tuesday that Kim,
who is the North Korean leader's right-hand man,will likely travel to Washington for talks on those dates.
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A New York Times reports claims that
North Korea may be developing biological weapons,
calling it one of North Korea's "less known military threats."
According to analysis published by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies,
the North is collaborating with foreign researchers to learn biotechnology skills and build relevant machinery.
As a result, they say,
the North's capabilities are increasing rapidly.
Other experts says
satellite images show the North is interested in
biotechnology and germ advances.
Source: Arirang News
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