The U.S. delegation negotiating with North Korean officials inside the Demilitarized Zone has extended its stay in Korea for at least one more day.

The extension came as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Kim Yong-chol, a member of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's inner circle, met in New York. 

The U.S. delegation has been holding discussions with the North’s delegation, headed by Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui, at the truce village of Panmunjeom since Sunday. 

The two sides held discussions to make arrangements and decide on key issues for a possible summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader, which is scheduled for June 12th. 

It was initially predicted that the Panmunjeom talks would end following a second round of a meeting on Wednesday. 

Former Ambassador Sung Kim is leading a team that includes Randall Schriver, assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, and Allison Hooker, the Korea expert on the White House National Security Council. 

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders confirmed the extended stay of the American officials in a news briefing, saying that the delegation had met North Korean officials at Panmunjeom in the early morning hours of Thursday and that their talks will continue. 

[Photo : YONHAP News]