Kim Hyun-chong, the new No. 2 deputy chief of Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Office, heads to Terminal No.2 at Incheon International Airport before departing for Washington, Saturday. Yonhap

A senior South Korean presidential official departed for Washington, Saturday, to meet with U.S. officials to prepare for the summit between the two countries' leaders slated for next month.

Kim Hyun-chong, the new No. 2 deputy chief of Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Office, headed to the U.S. for meetings with White House National Security Council and congressional officials.

Trump says new sanctions on North Korea 'unnecessary' 2019-03-30 11:26  |  North Korea
President Moon Jae-in and his U.S. counterpart, Donald Trump, will hold a summit April 11 in Washington D.C., Cheong Wa Dae said Friday, amid a stalemate in nuclear talks between the U.S. and North Korea.

"The trip is aimed at discussing the agenda for the imminent visit to the U.S. by the president," Kim said before his departure from Incheon International Airport.

When asked about the possibilities of including issues such as the reopening of shuttered Gaesweong Industrial Complex in the North and resuming a long-suspended tour program to the North's Mount Geumgang on the summit agenda, Kim said he could not currently speak on these matters. (Yonhap)