A top North Korean official who arrived in Beijing on Sunday from a four-day trip to the United States is now heading home. 

Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the North's ruling Workers' Party Kim Yong-chol boarded an Air Koryo flight around noon Monday bound for Pyongyang.

During the four-day stay, Kim held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in New York to discuss preparations for the upcoming summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. 

Kim Yong-chol then went to Washington to meet with Trump and hand deliver a personal letter from the North Korean leader.