North Korean negotiator headed to Washington

By Kylie Atwood, Joshua Berlinger and Will Ripley, CNN

Updated 2134 GMT (0534 HKT) January 16, 2019

Top North Korean negotiator heading to Washington 01:22

(CNN)North Korea's lead negotiator in nuclear talks with the
 United States, Kim Yong Chol, is expected to arrive in
Washington by the weekend, a potential sign the two countries
 are getting closer to finalizing plans for a second
summit between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un.

Kim Yong Chol, Pyongyang's former spymaster who has served as
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's counterpart in talks with the
United States, is expected to arrive in the US capital Thursday and
spend the night there, according to two US sources familiar
with the negotiations.

Kim is then expected meet Pompeo and US special representative
to North Korea Steve Biegun on Friday, the sources said.

It's unclear if he will visit the White House, but the sources say that
 is the expectation from the North Koreans and the US side is
preparing for the possibility.

The dates for meetings between North Korea's top negotiator and
US officials in Washington have only been confirmed to CNN by the
 US side. A source familiar with US-North Korea denuclearization talks
told CNN that the meetings will happen "by this weekend." No firm d
etails have been publicly announced yet.

"A lot of positive things are happening. He (Trump) and
 Chairman Kim have established a good relationship,
and conversations between the United States and
North Korea continue," a White House spokesperson told CNN.

"We are working to make progress on our goal of achieving the fi

precursor to a second summit between Trump and Kim Jong Un.

“Kim Yong Chol, Pyongyang's former spymaster who has served as
 Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's counterpart in talks with the
 United States, is expected to arrive in the US capital Thursday 
and spend the night there, according to two US sources familiar with the negotiations,” the network reported.

Despite the lack of visible progress in negotiations over
 denuclearization, the visit caused some optimism. 
Joel Wit, a former State Department official who now leads the
 website 38 North, wrote on Twitter that the trip was not just about 
setting a time and place for a summit but also getting on with the
 substance of the talks. “It's wrong to think the North is just
 killing time until they can meet Trump, as some experts speculate,” he said.