MIKE POMPEO/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/SINGAPORE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Ever since President Trump pulled out of planned talks with Kim Jong-un, the leader of North Korea, officials from both countries have been scrambling to salvage the summit meeting and keep it on track for June 12 in Singapore. A process that normally would take months is now being compressed into a matter of days, with meetings taking place between North Korean and American officials all over the world. Below, a rundown of who is meeting whom, and what they might be talking about. Reporters in Beijing and New York were closely monitoring flight tracking boards in airports in both cities on Wednesday [5-30-18] to figure when, exactly, Kim Yong-chol, one of Kim Jong-un’s most trusted aides, would arrive in New York to talk with Mike Pompeo, the secretary of state. They face a monumental task: finding a path to denuclearization. Analysts believe that Mr. Pompeo will seek to clarify the North’s position on its nuclear program, which may have gotten muddled during Mr. Pompeo’s two visits to Pyongyang to meet with Kim Jong-un. Kim Yong-chol was also at those meetings.”
-Motoko Rich, “A Worldwide Scramble to Pull Off a Trump and Kim Summit,” The New York Times online, May 30, 2018