Officials from Pyongyang and Washington appear to have met behind closed doors in Singapore to prepare for the Kim- Trump summit next month
Oh Soo-young tells us more.
Top North Korean and the U.S. envoys seem to be holding working-level talks behind closed doors to prepare for the historic North Korea-U.S. summit slated for June 12th in Singapore.
Media reports earlier this week said Kim Jong-un's de facto chief of staff Kim Chang-son had flown into the city state on Monday night.
His visit coincided with the arrival of a team of U.S. officials, including White House deputy chief of staff for operations Joe Hagin.
Experts say their overlapping schedules are unlikely to be a coincidence.
"There's a high chance that a working-level meeting took place somewhere in Singapore. Given the seniority of the two officials, their meeting could indicate the summit has now been fixed."
There's speculation that Pyongyang and Washington are working to iron out the practical details of the summit, beginning with the specific venue and timetable, as well as the protocol and security measures.
Possible venues include the Singaporean presidential palace, the Shangri-La Hotel, and the resort Island of Sentosa, according to observers.
Officials will also have to decide whether President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will hold a joint media conference or take part in additional activities.
Other matters concerning logistics or transportation will have to be discussed with the Singaporean authorities.
With less than two weeks to go until the envisioned meeting, experts say the summit would soon be set in stone once practical arrangements are made,... and if the North and the U.S. can agree on the key topics of discussion -- primarily the terms of denuclearization.
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.
