N Korea's lead negotiator to visit USA this week

Kim Yong Chol, North Korea's lead negotiator in nuclear talks with the USA, is expected to visit the United States on Thursday.

He will be spending Thursday night in Washington, following which he is slated to meet the US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and US special representative to North Korea Steve Biegun on Friday, CNN reported while quoting sources.

The exact details and dates pertaining to the North Korean negotiator's visit have not been officially confirmed yet.

The dates and venue of the second US-North Korea summit may be discussed during Yong Chol's expected visit to the United States.

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

"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," the official further said.

The expected visit may bring respite to strained US-North Korea relations, which has seen stalled talks regarding North Korea's denuclearisation in the recent past. On the one hand, North Korea has pushed for a respite in sanctions against the state in the wake of denuclearisation efforts. The United States, on the other hand, has maintained that sanctions would only be eased after complete denuclearisation is achieved, leading to a stalemate.