Pompeo meets North Korea's lead negotiator in Washington

Special Representative for North Korea Steve Biegun, Deputy Assistant Secretary Alex Wong, and Special Envoy for North Korea Mark Lambert are also present at the meeting with Kim, according to the pool report.

Kim's envoy arrives in DC as Pentagon states 'extraordinary threat' posed by North Korea

Kim arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport Thursday evening, bringing with him a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un meant for Trump, a source familiar with the denuclearization talks between the US and North Korea told CNN.

His trip to Washington is viewed by some as a sign that the sides are getting closer to reaching an agreement regarding a second Trump-Kim Jong Un summit.

The White House has allocated time for Trump and Kim Yong Chol to meet midday Friday, according to a senior administration official. The official described it as a "courtesy call" in the Oval Office.

Whether the meeting happens or not will depend on how things go with Secretary Pompeo and could involve handing over Kim Jong Un's letter. It's not expected to be a substantive meeting with Trump but rather a "drop by" of sorts.

Kim Yong Chol last came to the United States in June. He visited New York and met with Pompeo before traveling to Washington, where he delivered an oversized envelope containing a letter from Kim Jong Un to Trump in the Oval Office. The two met for two hours in the White House.

During that visit, Kim Yong Chol was able to break the impasse between Washington and Pyongyang and help get the first US-North Korea summit back on track.

Trump and Kim Jong Un's summit in Singapore in June ended with a commitment from Kim Jong Un to "work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," but negotiations appear to have stalled since then.

Many critics accuse the Trump administration of failing to get Pyongyang to agree to specifics at their first summit. They say the North Koreans are holding out for a second summit because they believe they can extract greater concessions by meeting with Trump directly, as opposed to working with envoys like Pompeo or Biegun.

CNN's Kevin Liptak contributed to this report.

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