BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: North Korea's second most-powerful official is now in the U.S. for a historic visit. He's expected to travel to Washington today for talks with the Clinton administration on North Korea's weapons program. CNN's Mike Chinoy, now, the only Western reporter in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang to bring up us to date in this live report now. Mike, hello.</s>MIKE CHINOY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Bill. Well, until now, no American official has ever met Vice Marshal Jo Myong Rok, the second-most powerful man here in North Korea. Jo has traveled abroad to China, to Cuba and to Syria and Pakistan. Those last two countries, nations where North Korea's sales of missile technology have been a source of major concern to the Clinton administration. North Korean officials say that the central point of his mission is to try and build a new relationship between North Korea and the United States, to move beyond hostility toward reconciliation. But there are tough issues including missiles, including how or whether North Korea will be removed from a U.S. list of countries sponsoring terrorism that have to be thrashed out. Still, the symbolism of this personal envoy of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il coming to Washington and the importance that that represents has not been lost on anybody here in the North Korean capital -- Bill.</s>HEMMER: All right, Mike Chinoy, live in Pyongyang with the very latest from there. A rather interesting development. We'll watch back here in the U.S. as well. Mike, thank you.
Top North Korean Official Heading to U.S. on Mission to Improve Relations