Who Is Kim Yong Chol? North Korea’s 'Go-To Diplomat' And Ex-Spy Chief Headed To U.S.

President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Kim Yong Chol, North Korea’s top nuclear weapons negotiator and “go-to diplomat,” was headed to the U.S. for talks this week ― a promising development in the ongoing “will they or won’t they” saga regarding a planned, then cancelled, summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders confirmed that Kim Yong Chol, 72, would be meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York, making Kim the highest-ranking North Korean official to visit the U.S. since 2000 when Jo Myong Rok, the late vice marshal, met with then-President Bill Clinton in Washington. 

Here’s what you need to know about Kim and his upcoming visit: 

He’s played a key role in recent denuclearization negotiations and other major diplomatic events.

Kim, a vice chairman of the ruling Workers’ Party, was among a small and select group of North Korean officials who accompanied Kim Jong Un to the Demilitarized Zone dividing the Korean peninsula to meet twice with South Korean President Moon Jae In.