US-North Korea summit may be near

By Zehra Ulucak

ANKARA (AA) - U.S. President Donald Trump may invite North Korean leader Kim Jong-un for a second summit, Washington Post reported Thursday.

Kim Yong-chol, considered the right-hand man of the North Korean leader, is expected to deliver a letter when he travels to Washington by the end of the week.

Trump may announce a second Trump-Kim summit aimed for March or April, according to the report.

“We are working to make progress on our goal of achieving the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea, and the president looks forward to meeting Chairman Kim again at their second summit at a place and time yet to be determined,” said a White House spokesperson, who spoke to media on condition of anonymity.

If announced, there is speculation the summit may take place in Danan, Vietnam.

Pompeo and Yong-chol may meet Jan. 17 or 18, the report added.

Talks between the U.S. and North Korea have largely stalled amid the North's insistence that the U.S. begin to ease the economic pressure, a move the U.S. has roundly rejected until a deal to rid the Korean Peninsula of nuclear weapons is reached.