WASHINGTON – A North Korean official has arrived in New York for talks with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ahead of what the White House says is an “expected” summit between President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

Kim Yong Chol is a former military intelligence chief and one of the North Korean leader’s most trusted aides. He is the highest-level representative from the North to set foot in the United States since 2000.

South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported that Kim landed shortly after 2 p.m. on an Air China flight from Beijing. Associated Press journalists saw the plane touch down at New York’s JFK International Airport and the North Korean delegation get off the plane.

The visit comes ahead of a summit planned for June 12, which Trump canceled but now says may take place after all.

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