NHK reported at noon on the DOS announcement on Monday that Secretary of State Pompeo and Special Representative for North Korea Biegun will meet with Kim Yong Chol, a close aide to Chairman Kim, on Thursday in New York. NHK said attention will be focused on whether progress will be made toward North Korea’s denuclearization at the meeting ahead of an anticipated second summit between President Trump and the North Korean leader. The network said that while the Secretary has said he will call on North Korea to take further measures toward denuclearization, North Korea is calling for the relaxation of economic sanctions and keeping the U.S. in check by hinting at the possibility of going back to a policy of concurrently pursuing nuclear development and rebuilding the economy. Other networks carried similar stories.