North Korean officials will deliver a letter from Kim Jong Un to President Donald Trump on Friday in Washington, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the latest sign that a canceled summit between the two leaders could be back on.
Pompeo, who has been meeting with a delegation from the communist dictatorship, acknowledged roadblocks in the ongoing negotiations and said that there was still a great deal of work to do. But he also expressed optimism about working toward the meeting.
Trump had said earlier Thursday that North Korean delegates wanted to deliver the letter, the latest sign that a summit between the two leaders may indeed happen after all.
The president, speaking to reporters before he departed to attend fundraisers in Texas, said he believes the delegates will be coming to Washington on Friday. He also expressed hope that the meeting would still take place as planned. "We'll see what happens," he said.
Minutes later, Trump tweeted that meetings with North Korea had been "very good."
The president's remarks came after Pompeo met with Kim's right-hand man, Kim Yong Chol.
Trump stunned the world when he canceled the summit with Kim a week ago, citing harsh rhetoric from the North Korean leader's regime. The announcement left allies, including South Korea, scrambling for a response.
The meeting, set for June 12 in Singapore, had gone from a potentially historic turning point in the long-bitter relationship between the U.S. and North Korea to just another turbulent chapter in the nations' histories.
But almost immediately, there were signs that the summit would indeed happen. South Korean President Moon Jae-in stepped in to smooth things over, and U.S. officials began talks with North Korean counterparts in the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea.