The U.S. and North Korean intelligence officials who have been handling bilateral talks for the North's denuclearization will reportedly be replaced by diplomats. 

The U.S. weekly magazine The Nation issued the report on Wednesday ahead of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s arrival in Pyongyang Friday for nuclear talks, quoting a "diplomatic troubleshooter" in Seoul who meets regularly with U.S. and Korean officials.

The troubleshooter reportedly said that the U.S. and North Korean intelligence officials who have been handling bilateral talks since they began in March will soon be replaced by diplomats, including Pompeo and North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho. 

The source said that the U.S. and North Korea will seek to carry out the joint pledge made at the Washington-Pyongyang summit to “work toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” 

The source added that, as part of that agreement, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un will also look to verify the absence of nuclear material in South Korea.  

During Pompeo’s visit to Pyongyang, the secretary is set to meet Kim to flesh out a denuclearization agreement signed by the North’s leader and U.S. President Donald Trump at their Singapore summit last month.

[Photo : YONHAP News]